


Beautiful People

by Wayhaughtterthanthat



Series: We’ll Take On The World [1]
Category: Wynonna Earp (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Foster Family, Alternate Universe - High School, Cheerleader Waverly Earp, F/F, Nicole in foster care, Nicole is the new girl, Nicole on probation, Purgatory is fancy and rich, Slow Burn Waverly Earp/Nicole Haught, two worlds collide
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-09-28
Updated: 2020-05-01
Packaged: 2020-10-21 11:11:47
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 30
Words: 175,026
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20692565
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Wayhaughtterthanthat/pseuds/Wayhaughtterthanthat
Summary: Nicole is about to start her senior year of high school on probation, in another foster home, in a totally new town. When she arrives in Purgatory, she learns how the other half truly lives and isn't sure she's ever going to fit in. Things change when she meets Waverly, who shows her that not everyone in town is the same.





	1. Chapter 1

“I got you six months of probation,” a tall man says as he enters the room. Nicole Haught is in a small room with bare walls and windows that she knows are really double sided mirrors. She’s sitting in a chair at a small table, leaning back and resting her feet up on the table. The man pushes her feet, gesturing for her to put them down before he sits in the chair across from her at the table. Nicole huffs and drops her feet to the ground, dramatically. 

“Six months? This is bullshit!” She groans, dropping her head to the table, on top of her hands. 

“First of all, watch your mouth,” the man warns. “Second of all, normally by now you’d be in juvy, so I’ll take a ‘thank you’ anytime now.” 

Nicole peels her head from the table. She glares back at the man, unamused. “Sure, thanks, Dolls,” she says, dryly. “This is my third probation in 2 years. Forgive me for not being ecstatic.” 

She waves her hands in the air, pretending to be excited. 

“Hence the reason you should be locked up by now,” Dolls retorts. “When are you going to learn, Nicole?” 

Nicole looks up, making eye contact with the man. 

“Learn and have to spend less time with my favorite probation officer?” She says with a devilish grin. She leans back in the chair, putting her feet back on top of the table. 

“Cut the shit, Haught,” Dolls huffs. His tone is more stern now. “And have some damn respect!” He gestured toward her feet. 

“And you told me to watch my mouth,” Nicole says with a smug look on her face, moving her feet back to the floor again. 

“Listen, kid, I get it.” The man’s tone softens. “Things haven’t been easy on you since-”

“Yeah, yeah, we really don’t have to get sentimental here, man,” Nicole quickly cuts him off. “Thank you.” She rolls her eyes at the man in front of her. 

“You’re welcome,” he says with a smile. She’s sure he can see through her sarcasm. The pair has spent a lot of time together over the past few years. Too much time if you ask her, but it’s been than the alternative. 

“Even though it was just a form of self expression,” Nicole argues. 

“Sure, but why can’t you self express on paper instead of the side of the Federal building?” Dolls asks. 

“It was dark!” She retorts. “I didn’t realize it was the Fed building!” She lets out another groan, throwing her head back for effect. 

“Seriously, Nicole, you can’t keep doing this.” Dolls tries to be sympathetic, but Nicole can tell he’s at his wits end with her. 

“I know, I know,” she says, a little softer this time. 

“You obviously don’t know,” he tells her. “Look, there’s one more stipulation.” Nicole brings her head back down, making eye contact with the man. 

“Community service?” she asks. 

“Well, yes, but that’s not what I mean,” Dolls says. He’s got her attention now. What else could it possibly be. She’s used to community service, that one is a given.

“What else have you gotten me into?” Nicole says in a warning tone like she actually has a say in the matter. 

“A new foster placement,” Dolls says quickly. It seems like he’s almost bracing himself to upset the redhead. 

“My foster parents are fine, Dolls,” Nicole tells him. “I get everyone I need. This has nothing to do with them.” She’s actually found a place she likes and is comfortable in, the last thing she wants to do is put this on them. 

“Obviously the city isn’t the best environment for you to make good choices,” Dolls tells her. 

“Come on, I like it here,” she pleads with him. “I have friends, I’m doing well in school. It’s almost my senior year!” 

“Too much freedom,” Dolls continues. 

“Isn’t that what we all want at the end of the day?” Nicole asks, laying on the charm. “To be free.” 

“Sure, but when you’re 17 and I’m your probation officer, I own your freedom,” the man says with a wink. 

“So you’re taking me away from my home now? That’s your solution?” Nicole asks. She’s tired and frustrated, but she knows she did this to herself. She was just trying to find somewhere to fit in. She had spent the majority of her life bouncing from foster home to foster home, never sure if she’d ever find somewhere to really call home. The city has been the closest thing to home that she’s felt since her dad was alive. He wasn’t necessarily the best option either, but he tried. 

Her mom left shortly after Nicole was born. She wouldn’t be able to tell her apart from anyone else on the street other than the small, folded up photograph that she has of her. She stole it out of a drawer in her dad’s office while he was alive. She’s not sure if he knew she had it, but it was the one thing that helped her realize where she came from. 

It wasn’t that she ever wanted to see her mom. Hell, she would probably just tell her off and tell her how much better off she’s been without her. She’s not sure if that’s even the truth. Twelve foster homes in ten years isn't really something to brag about. But she did her best. So what if she decides to spend her time tagging buildings throughout the city? It’s not like she was hurting anybody. 

“Look, this new place is great,” Dolls says. Nicole squints her eyes at the man in attempts to see if he is putting up a facade or not. “And I know the man, he’s real nice. We used to work together before I moved to the city.” 

“Oh, hell no,” Nicole suddenly protests. “You’re making me live with a stiff?” The thought of spending quality time with any more police officers was something Nicole wasn’t prepared for. She’s had more encounters with the police than she would like to account for, but never before has she ever thought about living under the roof of one. 

“Sheriff Nedley is a nice man, I assure you,” Dolls tries to tell her. “Purgatory is a quiet, but nice town. I think you’ll like it there.”

“A sheriff? Come on!” Nicole slams her hands on the table and slides her chair further out, allowing herself space to stand. 

“Nicole, I had to pull a lot of strings here. This could be good for you!” Dolls argues as the redhead begins to pace the room. 

“And if it’s not?” She asks, stopping in her tracks. 

“Then I’ll figure something else out. I know you don’t think so, but I got your back,” the man assures her. 

“Fine,” Nicole sighs. She feels defeated but she knows nothing she does or says is going to change the man’s kind. “When do I go?” She asks as she sits back down in the chair. 

“School starts in a couple weeks so we wanted to get you situated out there before before then so you can get acclimated with the area and maybe some of the people,” he tells her.

“Why can’t I just stay with you until I graduate? Or turn 18? You’re a stiff,” Nicole suggests.

“I’m going to pretend that’s not an insult,” Dolls replies, slightly offended.

“You know what I mean,” Nicole groans. 

“As much as I’d love that, that’s not really an option here, Nicole,” Dolls says. “The courts won’t accept that. This man is doing this as a huge favor to me.”

“I’m glad I can be your charity case,” the redhead sighs, rolling her eyes. 

“Maybe being around a new crowd will help you make better choices,” Dolls tells her, ignoring her last comment. 

“Except I’ll be bored out of my mind!” She whines. “What the hell kind of town name is Purgatory?”

“You never know, maybe you’ll find your place there. It’s a nice town,” he continues to try to convince Nicole that this really could be the best thing for her. He’d be doing a better job if Nicole wasn’t so stubborn.

“Find my place in a town called Purgatory? Sounds like hell,” Nicole huffs.

“Not quite,” he says with a wink. “You’ll fortunately still get me checking in on you, so it’s a win win!” 

“Really? Because it sounds like a whole lot of lose to me,” she says. She puts her elbows on the table in front of her and drops her head into her hands. This man is really about to uproot her for her final year of high school? Maybe it could be a good thing. A new scene, new people, new girls. How bad could Purgatory be? 

  
  
  


——————-

  
  
  


Nicole has the weekend to pack up her belongings. It’s more than enough time since she doesn’t really have many things that actually belong to her. There wasn’t much she actually cared about keeping, that was, besides her small collection of sketchbooks that she’s used throughout the years and her electric guitar. The guitar once belonged to her father, it was one of the few things they were able to save when their house flooded when Nicole was six. She doesn't have an amp, but she doesn’t care. She has managed to teach herself some basic skills over the years. She doesn’t quite call herself a guitar player, but it is more of a work in progress. 

She scans over the room that she has called her own for the past year and a half. This is the longest she’s ever spent with a set of foster parents and she found herself getting more used to it than she usually does. The room isn’t big but she has found it to be comfortable, one of the best she’s ever had. 

Her clothes are now all in a couple of cardboard boxes that her foster parents were kind enough to provide her with. She makes sure to let them know how appreciative she has been of everything they’ve done for her. She stacks the boxes on top of each other in the corner of the room, making sure she didn’t miss anything. 

This time packing feels different. She was left alone by her foster parents. In the past, different foster parents would sit in the room with her, watching her every move. It was like they were all afraid she was going to steal from them. Why let her in their house in the first place if they were afraid she was such a terrible person? Oh right, the check. 

Nicole knows she wasn’t much more than a monthly check to some people. She got over that at a young age. She did what she had to survive and sometimes that meant putting her head down and staying quiet. She went to school, made a few friends that never stuck around and moved in where ever she was told because when you’re part of the system, you don’t get many free choices in life. When she was younger she had a sliver of hope about adoption. But as the years went on, she accepted that she would age out of the system when she turned eighteen. 

There’s a knock at her bedroom door and she calls out, “it’s open.” The door slowly opens to reveal the smiling face of her probation officer on the other side. 

“Almost ready to go, kid?” he asks. He takes a few steps further into the room, looking around a little. “Need any help?” She senses sympathy in the man’s demeanor, which is a change from his usual uptight stature, but she doesn’t think too much into it. Once again, she knows she did this to herself. But she also trusts the man that he wouldn’t be putting her in a situation where she wasn’t going to be safe. 

At least with her other moves, she was still in a location that was fairly close to the last. She never really had to uproot her entire life. She was mostly still surrounded by the same faces, the same stores, and the same school. 

“I think I have it down to a science by now, sir.” Nicole mocks him a little. She likes to try to ruffle his feathers from time to time. She knows underneath it all, he’s probably not as uptight as he acts. 

“Nicole,” he’s apologetic. She shakes her head back at him, attempting to stop him before he gets too sappy. 

“No need to apologize, Xavier,” she says quickly. The man stops in his tracks and narrows his eyes back at the redhead. She can’t help but grin back at him. She’s not sure what the appeal is of getting a rise out of her probation officer, but it keeps her entertained. He lets out an audible sigh and pinches the bridge of his nose between his thumb and his index finger, closing his eyes tight for a brief moment. “Fine,” Nicole huffs. “Officer Dolls,” she corrects herself. 

“Thank you,” the man says. “Are these boxes ready?” he asks, gesturing to the stacked boxes in the corner of the room. “I’ll start to load the car.” Nicole nods and watches as the man carries half of her total belongings away in one trip down to his car. She moves over to the window in her room, separating the blinds enough for her to peer outside. She watches as Officer Dolls carefully places the box into the trunk of his SUV. There’s an ache in her chest and she feels her eyes swell. She quickly closes the blinds and takes a deep breath in, blinking her eyes to avoid allowing any real tears to form. 

“Get it together, Haught,” she says out loud to herself. She continues putting the rest of her sketchbooks in a smaller box and closes it by overlapping the flaps. Dolls returns for the second box of clothes and Nicole follows closely behind with the smaller box in her arms. 

She watches in silence as the man places the second box of clothes in the trunk. 

“You don’t have to be so gentle with it,” Nicole tells her. “It’s just clothes.” She sets the smaller box down in the backseat of the SUV. She’s more adamant about the safety of this particular box. 

“They’re still your belongings,” Dolls tells her. She won’t ever admit it, but she does appreciate how careful the man is not to ruin anything that belongs to her. It’s hard to swallow at times, but this man probably knows her better than anyone else in the world right now. 

“Thanks,” she says softly. Appreciation for others is something that she does feel often, but has trouble portraying. The man smiles softly back at her before they make their way back into the room. The only thing remaining is her guitar. Dolls places his hand on it, ready to carry it out for her. “I got it!” Nicole takes the guitar from his grasp. Dolls quickly removes his hand from the guitar, no questions asked. 

Nicole wraps shed fingers around the neck of the guitar and lifts it off the ground. They make their way into the living room of the apartment to find her foster parents. The goodbyes are brief. She never found them to be very affectionate people, but she knew they cared. They always made she sure had what she needed, which was never much. They’d ask about her day, which was more than some people did. They didn’t lecture her when she did something wrong, but she could tell they always wanted more for her. 

After leaving through the door of what was probably her twelfth ‘home’ by now, Nicole places her guitar safely in the backseat of the officer’s SUV. She makes her way around to the passenger side where she finds Dolls holding the door open for her. She shakes her head slightly at the man. “So how lucky are you to be my personal chauffeur today?” She teases as she hops into the passenger side of the SUV. 

“Yes, there is no place I’d rather be in the world than hanging out with a delinquent teenager for the next several hours,” Dolls says, dryly, before shutting the door and making his way around to the driver’s side. 

Nicole laughs at the comment, she’s not offended by what he says. She feels that he’s probably the only person in the world that could say that to her and she wouldn’t want to hit him for it. 

The drive out of the city is fairly quiet. Nicole messes with the radio a few times, only to get her hand swatted away by the officer. “My car, my music,” he reminds her. This isn’t the first time she’s been in his car. It’s becoming a sort of a routine for the pair. She does something to get in trouble, Dolls shows up, gives her the low down and sometimes drops her off at a new foster home until the next time she does something wrong. 

Nicole sits with her seat leaned back, closing her eyes for a moment. She isn’t paying much attention to life outside the car as they drive. The closer they get to Purgatory, the more nervous she becomes. She’s unsure why these nerves are building so fiercely. It’s not like Purgatory is entirely new to her either. Her dad took her there a few times when he was alive, but never to stay. Her dad wouldn’t be caught dead amongst those people. She wonders for a moment what he would think about her going to live there. 

They close in on the town sign and there’s a sudden change in her demeanor. She sits up further in her seat and reads the words on the sign in her head. ‘Welcome to Purgatory; you’ll never want to leave!’ She laughs a little. She doesn’t mean for it to be out loud, but it is. 

“Something funny?” Dolls asks. Nicole immediately shakes her head. 

“No,” she says quickly. She continues to watch out the window as they proceed further into the town. The houses are big, bigger than she remembers. They’re not on top of each other like in the city, she assumes there’s a lot less people here. 

The further they drive, the larger the houses appear to be. They’re surrounded by fences, she assumes to keep the riff raff out. The driveways are longer than she’s ever seen. Some of the houses are set so far back from the road that she can barely see them. There are trees everywhere. They line the streets, driveways, even the perimeter of some of the properties. It’s quiet here, but she’s sure there’s more to the town that meets the eye. 

They drive past the high school. It looks a lot different than the one she spent the last three years at. There’s a big marquee sign out front. The top of it reads, ‘Purgatory High School,’ and the middle advertises an upcoming ‘annual back to school football game.’ She’s not really excited about going to school there. But then again, there’s not much exciting about being the new kid for your senior year of high school. 

There’s a few people walking down the street as they turn the corner just past the high school. She assumes they’ve just come from the high school since a couple of the boys are wearing football jerseys with ‘Blue Devils’ on the front. There were a couple of girls trailing behind in short shorts and tee shirts with cheerleading graphics on the front. Her eyes lingered a little longer on the girls before they turn another corner and fade from her sight. The sound of the man driving the car coughing breaks her from her thoughts. She shifts her attention in his direction. 

He is still focusing on the road, but turns his head slightly to give her his attention before he speaks. “Ready to see your new home?” 

Nicole always uses the word ‘home’ fairly loosely. She was never sure when she would actually consider a house a home. She wasn’t sure she would ever know what it would feel like. 

“As ready as I’ll ever be,” she tries to force a little enthusiasm but is sure she’s failing at it. She is able to muster up a small smile before she turns to look ahead of her again, watching as the vehicle pulls down a long driveway. The driveway leads to a gate that is closer to the road, long before they reach the actual house. Dolls rolls down his window and presses a button on the intercom that is just outside the window.

“Xavier Dolls, here with Nicole Haught,” he says when there is a voice on the other side asking for the reason behind his visit. Nicole isn’t sure what to think. This can’t be a real place, right? She’s sure Dolls can almost hear her thoughts. “I know it’s not what you’re used to,” he says as he starts to drive through the gate that is now opening. 

“That’s an understatement,” Nicole says. She continues to take in the sight of the house in front of her. It’s definitely not a house that any police officer in the city would live in. Well, it’s also not a house that would even exist in the city. 

There are more windows in the front of the house than she can even count. Everything is perfectly landscaped around the front of the house. There is a pathway that leads from the driveway to the front steps. The porch wrapped around the majority of the house. She can’t see behind it but from the looks of it, there might be a pool.

As she opens the door of the car that is now parked, she sees the front door swing open and an older man with a mustache is stepping out onto the front porch. 

Dolls runs around to the passenger side of the car, but Nicole has already out and closing the door. Dolls waves up at the man on the porch and opens the trunk of the SUV. He takes a box out of the vehicle and heads toward the house with it, gesturing for Nicole to follow him. She reaches into the backseat and takes out her guitar before following the man. 

When they reach the front porch, Dolls sets the box down and shakes the hand of the other man. “Randy Nedley,” he starts. “This is Nicole Haught.” He gestures toward the redhead. Nicole gives him a tight smile that’s as genuine as she can manage. She puts her hand out for him to shake it. 

“Nice to meet you, Nicole,” the man’s smile is truly genuine. His handshake is firm but he seems like he’s a gentle man overall. Her nerves subside a little as her hand drops from his back down to her side. 

“Likewise,” he smiles. “Here, I’ll show you to your room,” he says. He reaches out for the guitar she is holding. She quickly retracts, pulling it closer to her body. She knows he was just trying to help. 

“I got it,” she tells him. The man nods and turns to open the front door. As the door swings open, Nicole moves her head to the side to look past the two men and into the house. 

Her eyes widen at the sight of the inside of the house. It’s immaculately clean, she immediately assumes they have a maid. She tries not to pass too much judgement on the people that live here before she meets them all, but it’s hard not to. There’s a large entryway as they step inside. It’s not the kind of entry way she’s used to where people just toss their shoes and coats off and make their way into the rest of the house. 

Everything is so spotless she is afraid she’s going to make it dirty. “Should I remove my shoes, sir?” She suddenly feels the need to be super polite. Randy shakes his head.

“Oh, no,” he says. “You’re fine.” She glances down at her shoes, a pair of old Chuck Taylors. They’re pretty worn in at this point, but she still feels like they have a lot of use left in them. She nods at the man. “Would you like to see your room?” he asks. 

“Yeah,” Nicole says. Dolls picks up the box of clothes and carries it with him as they make their way up the stairs. When they reach the top, Randy leads the pair down a hallway that overlooks what she assumes is the living room of the house. She glances over the railing, noticing the photographs on the mantel over the fireplace. She can’t make out any of the faces in the photos, but she thinks it’s nice to see a family that might actually care about each other.

As they reach the end of the hallway, Randy opens the last door on the right to reveal a bedroom bigger than any room Nicole has ever had in her life. She’s not sure what she’s about to do with all that space. The room is fully furnished with what appears to be a queen sized bed and more dresser space than she is ever going to fill. 

“Here we are,” Randy says with a smile. The two men step to the side and allow Nicole to enter the room. She gently places her guitar in one of the corners of the room and moves around the space, taking it all in. There is a bookshelf with a couple of shelves full of books. Nicole scans over the titles of the books, running her finger along the spines of the books. “I wasn’t sure if you like to read.” Randy’s voice breaks her from her thoughts and she turns around. 

“I do,” Nicole tells him. “Thanks.” She moves around the room again. There’s a desk on the other side of the room with a computer on it. “Thank you for all of this,” she says to the man, gesturing around the room “You really didn’t have to.”

“It’s my pleasure,” Randy smiles. Dolls carries the box of clothes into the room and sets it down near the dresser. Nicole thanks him. “Should we go get the rest of your belongings?” Randy asks.

“There’s not much,” Nicole admits. “I’m a light packer,” she tries to joke. She’s trying to show that she’s grateful for this opportunity, but she’s having trouble understanding what she’s feeling at the same time. 

They make their way back down toward the front of the house. As Randy goes to open the front door, it swings open and a girl with long, blonde hair is standing in the doorway. 

“There’s someone parked in my spot,” she huffs at Randy. She must have realized that he wasn’t alone because she quickly looks back and forth between Dolls and Nicole. Nicole musters a smile. “Oh.” The girl says, knowingly. “They’re here.” She moves past the group and heads for the stairs. 

“My daughter,” Randy says as he watches her climb the stairs until she disappears from sight. “Chrissy.” 

“Wow,” Dolls says. “She’s so grown up now!” Randy laughs. 

“Yeah,” Randy says. “Sometimes I wish she would go back to being little again,” he laughs. “Sorry about that,” he apologizes to Nicole. “She’ll come around eventually.”

“It’s fine,” Nicole says. She leaves the house through the front door to retrieve her box of sketchbooks. She tries to balance the box between her hip and the vehicle but falters, dropping the box on the ground as she goes to close the door. “Shit!” she calls out. Dolls quickly makes his way over to Nicole, helping her pick up the books that have fallen out of the box. “Sorry,” she says. 

“You okay, kid?” He asks in a hushed tone. Nicole nods quickly and shoves the rest of the books in the box, closing the top. 

“I’m fine,” she huffs as she lifts the box from the ground and brings it into the house. Randy holds the door open for her and she moves past him to head back upstairs to her room. 

She finds it weird to think of as her room since she’s only been there for about twenty minutes, but she’s going to try to make the best out of the situation if that’s what she has to do. Maybe if she puts on her best facade, she can get back to the city by Christmas. Or maybe that requires not playing by the rules. She just had to figure out what the rules were with these kind of people first. 

As she makes her way down the hallway, she hears a voice coming from one of the other rooms in the hallway. The door wasn’t open the first time she came through, but now she could see a glimpse of the inside from the angle she is standing at. The wall she can see is lined with pictures of what she assumes is Chrissy and her friends. There’s also a bookcase full of trophies. She’s not close enough to make out what the trophies are for, but based on the shape the girl is in, she makes an assumption she’s an athlete. 

“I don’t know, Waves,” Chrissy’s voice echoes down the hallway. She must be on the phone. Nicole can’t see her but she’s loud enough to hear every word. “Are you sure he was asking about me?” 

Nicole rolls her eyes at the conversation, but is curious about what’s being said on the other end of the phone. “After the back to school dance? Do you think he’ll ask me to go with him? Well I know it’s at his house,” she huffs. “It would just be nice to get a personal invite, you know?” 

“Did you forget where your room was already?” A deep voice comes from behind her, jolting her where she stood. 

“Huh?” She turns around to see Dolls with a smile on his face, carrying the second box of clothing down the hallway. “Oh, no,” she says as she continues her journey to the end of the hall. As she passes Chrissy’s door she sees her get up from her bed to close her door. She gets a slight look from the blonde that she can’t read quite yet but it doesn’t feel friendly. 

She sets the box on the bed in her room and turns to see a Dolls stacking the second box of clothes on top of the first. “Well, that’s all of it,” he says. Nicole waits for the joke, but it never comes. “Is there anything else you need?” 

“Take me back to the city?” Nicole suggests. Dolls laughs. 

“Look, you know where to find me,” Dolls says. Nicole plops down on the bed and looks up at him. She knows he’s trying to do what’s best for her. That’s all he’s ever tried to do since the first time they met. She knows she frustrates the man, sometimes on purpose, but she also knows he cares. She nods back at him. “I know you’re not excited amount this move, Nicole.” 

“It’s for the best, right?” She asks, trying to get to a place in her own mind where she believes it herself. 

“It’s really all you have left,” Dolls says, sympathetically. Nicole gets it. She knows she messed up so many times that there’s no other option right now. After all, the alternative would probably suck more than this. “I’ll be back to check on you periodically.” 

“Will I at least have a warning?” Nicole asks. “We both know how much I hate it when you just pop in unannounced.” 

“I’ll do my best,” Dolls says with a wink. “But in the meantime, make some friends, be a kid. But please, Nicole, within reason.” 

“How much trouble can I get into living with a cop?” Nicole asks. “But that was part of your plan all along, wasn’t it?” 

The man grins back at her. “You’ve always been smart,” he says. 

  
  
  


——————-

  
  


  
  
Dolls leaves about an hour later. He has a discussion with Randy that Nicole decides not to eavesdrop in on, no matter how much she wants to. She isn’t sure what they talk about, but it is probably for the best. 

She is in her room, laying on her back on her bed. She thinks about how she should probably unpack, but she figures she has time and it won’t take her long. 

There’s a knock at her door that she left slightly ajar and she sits up on the bed. The door slowly opens and Randy is on the other side. “How’s it going in here?” He asks as he enters the room. He looks around at the boxes that haven’t moved since they were placed there. 

“Great,” Nicole says, with a natural side of sarcasm. The man laughs a little. 

“You have time to unpack,” he tells her. “Are you hungry? Do you need anything?” Nicole shakes her head. She wasn’t really feeling anything other than sleep. “Please don’t hesitate to ask.” The man turns to leave the room, starting to pull the door closed behind him. 

“Thank you,” Nicole calls out after him, unsure if he heard. He pops his head back inside the room and smiles at the redhead. 

“You’re welcome,” he says. He seems like a genuinely nice guy. She is still having a hard time believing that it’s all real though. Her last foster parents proved her wrong, so maybe this one will too. Only time will tell. “Wait, one last thing,” Randy says as he makes his way back into Nicole’s room, handing her a box. She looks confused at first, but opens it anyway to discover a cell phone. “For you.” 

“Oh, no,” Nicole says. “You really don’t have to.” She tries to hand the box back to the man but he insists she keeps it. 

“In case you need to get in touch with anyone,” he assures her. She was never big on accepting gifts. They rarely came without a cost. She swallows her pride and stops trying to shove the box back at the man. Instead she thanks him and he leaves the room, closing the door fully behind him. When she hears the click of the door shutting, she climbs off the bed and sets the phone, still in its box, on the desk in the room. 

Nicole makes her way over to her boxes of clothes and decides to empty them, using the space provided in the closet and dresser to put them away. She never had much space of her own, but she was always good at keeping it neat. She empties the boxes onto the bed before organizing them into designated places. Her wardrobe isn’t big, or fancy, but it suits her well. The majority of it consists of jeans and flannel shirts so she’s sure she will stick out like a sore thumb at her new high school, as if she wasn’t going to already. 


	2. Chapter 2

Nicole spends the next hour putting her clothes away. It doesn’t take that long, but her lack of motivation isn’t helping. She looks over at the phone on the desk a few times. She’s had a phone before, but she’s never been attached to having one. Less technology means less chance of tracking her down if she does something wrong. 

She always considers herself a pretty simple person. That’s what happens when you grow up with nothing. You learn to get used to it. She finally reaches the box of sketchbooks that she left on the desk in the room. She opens the top and takes a couple of them out, flipping through the pages. The smell of leather, paper and graphite hits her nose as she takes a breath in. Drawing was always her main escape away from anything. When she was young, she would draw worlds that she fantasized would come to life. A world she could escape to. Reality sunk in early, however, that it would never be real, so she started drawing anything and everything around her. 

She doesn’t have many photographs and there aren’t many taken of her. She always sees people around her constantly taking pictures of the world around them. They stop to snap a photo with their phone of a tree, a mountain, a building, their friends, and then they lock their phone and store it back in their pocket. They take a moment, make it a memory to look back on in the future. She often wonders if they actually ever revisit some of the photos that they take. What’s the point if they’re just going to sit in cyberspace forever? She never really had that luxury, so she draws instead. She draws faces of people she comes into contact with. Some have had a bigger impact on her life than others, but all are important in one way or another. 

She flips through a few pages of her drawings. She sees the faces of people from her past. She stops on one particular drawing of a girl. She runs her fingers over the lines as if she’s redrawing them. She closes her eyes for a moment. She feels like she’s back in the moment that the drawing took place in. She’s sitting at a picnic table in a park. There’s another girl sitting across from her. She knows her well, better than she knows anyone. And the girl knows her. She moves the pencil smoothly on the paper, holding the sketchbook up with her other hand. 

The girl smiles back at her, asking her to see what she’s drawing. Nicole refuses, attempting to ignore her pleads but she can’t help but smile. She swats at her hands as they try to pull the book down to reveal the drawing. She doesn’t usually share her drawings with anyone, but this isn’t the only time she’s drawn this particular girl. She’s beautiful. Her blonde hair flows just past her shoulders, but she usually has it pulled back in a ponytail. Her piercing blue eyes always make Nicole’s heart beat so fast she fears it might burst. She dons a basketball jersey, putting her muscular, and perfectly tanned arms on display. 

Nicole blinks and the figure girl in front of her starts to fade away. She blinks again, trying to return to the memory. It has been three years since that day and she still feels it like it was yesterday. There’s a knock on her door, ripping her fully from the moment. She slams the sketchbook shut and quickly shoves it in a drawer. “Yeah?” She calls out. 

“Dad says I have to give you a tour of the house,” Chrissy says as she pushes the door open. She doesn’t seem very enthused by the idea. 

“Okay,” Nicole says as she closes the box of books on the desk and turns toward the blonde. “I’m Nicole by the way.” The introduction seems unnecessary. She’s sure the girl knows who she is by now, but she tries to be polite. 

“Yeah, I know,” Chrissy huffs. “I’m Chrissy, but I’m sure you already know that.” Nicole nods with a quick laugh and follows her out of the room. 

“This is the upstairs,” Chrissy says, quickly gesturing around the hallway. Her tone is flat and she avoids making any real eye contact with Nicole. “My room,” she points to her left. There are 4 others closed doors in the upstairs hallway. Chrissy points them out as guest rooms and a bathroom. She wonders how many guests they have to rationalize having that many extra rooms. She was always lucky when she had her own room and didn’t have to share with anyone else in her foster placements. 

She doesn’t bother opening the doors if Chrissy doesn’t. She continues to follow the blonde down the hallway. They turn and descend down a set of stairs that is different from the one that she originally came up. The stairs are a little more narrow and not as open around them. She learns quickly that they lead into the backside of the kitchen. “Kitchen,” Chrissy says plainly. Nicole looks around the room. She feels like she’s in so alternates universe. None of this can be real. How do people actually live this way? Their kitchen is bigger than her last home. 

They make their way further through the downstairs as Chrissy points out different rooms, not taking time to stop at any of them. They pass by the dining room, living room and study. Nicole stops in the doorway of the study. It’s unlike anything she’s ever seen in person. The walls are lined floor to ceiling with shelves full of books. There’s a couple of chairs in the middle of the room and a fireplace on one end with a large mantle above it. She wonders how many fireplaces a house needs. 

“Hello?” Chrissy calls out. Nicole looks up and sees she continued on without her. 

“Sorry,” Nicole says, she moves quickly to catch up with the girl. “That room is fascinating.” Chrissy gives her a weird look. 

“Never seen a study before?” She asks. 

“I’ve never seen anything quite like any of this before,” Nicole admits. She lifts her arms, gesturing around her. Chrissy doesn’t seem shocked. Nicole isn’t sure what Chrissy knows about her and where she came from. She’s unsure even she’s even interested to hear. 

“You get used to it,” Chrissy shrugs. Nicole laughs, assuming it was meant to be a joke. She realizes quickly she was probably wrong when she gets a strange look from Chrissy. 

“Doubt it,” Nicole says. “This is like something out of the movies,” she laughs. 

“I’m sure I’d say the same about where you grew up,” Chrissy retorts. Nicole studies the girl’s face, she swears she sees a slight smile start to grow on her mouth. 

“Probably,” she agrees. “What’s that room?” She asks as they turn a corner. The door is slightly ajar and Chrissy pushes it open a little further. Inside is Randy, sitting at a desk. The room is barely decorated, the walls are rather bare. 

“Dad’s office,” Chrissy says. Randy looks up from what he is working on and offers the pair a soft smile. 

“How’s the tour going?” The man asks as he closes his laptop and stands from his desk. He’s now dress in uniform, he looks a little different than he did earlier in the day when she first met him. Nicole is still having trouble getting over the fact that she now has to live with a police officer. She wonders what her friends from the city would think of her now if they could only see this place.

“Great, dad,” Chrissy forces a smile on her face. Nicole wonders what’s going on in the girl’s mind. Here she is in this huge house, with everything she could probably ever imagine and she doesn’t seem happy about any of it. She’s sure she has something to do with the girl’s frustration though. If things were the other way around, she’s not sure how she would feel about a total stranger coming to share her space during her senior year of high school. But in reality, with the size of this place, she’s sure they won’t have to really cross paths too often if they don’t want to.

“Great!” Randy says in a cheerful manner. “Make sure you show her the pool, feel free to use it whenever!” 

Nicole smiles back at the man. “Sure, thanks,” she says. 

“Of course!” He smiles. “Anything you need, please don’t be afraid to ask. We’d like to make this transition as smooth as possible. I do have to work tonight, but there’s a game at the school,” he says. “Chrissy will give you a ride up there. It’ll be good for you two to spend some time together.”

Chrissy cringes a little and Randy shoots her a warning look. She quickly changes her expression and musters up a smile. 

“Yes, it’ll be great,” she says through her smile. “Catch you later, dad,” she says as she gestures for Nicole to follow her toward a sliding door on the back of the house. Nicole waves at the man and quickly follows behind. Chrissy slides the door open, closing it once they are both outside.

Nicole’s eyes widen at the sight of the backyard. There’s a large, stone patio that leads out to the inground pool with a waterfall on one end. There's a tall ledge made of rocks that towers over the entire length of one side. To the left, there is an inground hot tub. On the other side, a built in fire pit. “So this is how the other half lives,” she chokes. 

“It’s cooler at night under the lights,” Chrissy grins. Nicole isn’t if she’s she’s mocking her or bragging. Nicole continues to look around the yard. It is perfectly landscaped, but she expects nothing less. “There’s a game room in the basement if you want to check that out,” Chrissy tells her. Nicole nods and follows her back into the house. 

  
  
  


———————

  
  
  
  


After the tour, Chrissy ditches Nicole, leaving her alone in the living room. She makes her way over to the mantle, glancing at the pictures displayed nicely in frames. There’s a few pictures of Chrissy running track. She figures that’s what the trophies are for. There’s a couple family photos. Randy, Chrissy and she assumes Chrissy’s mom. She doesn’t know what happened or where she is, that’s probably a story for a later date. 

She turns and heads for the main staircase, hoping she doesn’t get lost in the house she will now call ‘home’ until the next one. She’s never sure how long placements will last and with her eighteenth birthday coming soon, she’s sure no one is really going to want to keep her. Although she feels this time the placement isn’t about making money off of her. 

She climbs the stairs and makes her way back down the hallway. She hears Chrissy on the phone again, this time she hears the voice of another girl on the other end. “You sure you don’t want me to come over before the game?” The girl asks. 

“No, no, it’s fine,” Chrissy protests. “I’ll meet up with you when I get there. Dad wants to have dinner before it, you know how he is,” she groans. 

“At least you have a dad that wants to spend time with you,” the other girl retorts. “Maybe you should be more appreciative.” 

“Whatever,” Chrissy huffs. “So what’s the plan for after the game?” She asks, changing the subject. 

“I thought you wanted to go to Robin’s party,” the girl says. “Or are you over that because he didn’t send out a personal invite?” 

“Ha ha,” Chrissy mocks. Nicole shuts her door behind her, muffling the sound of the phone conversation happening down the hall from her. She looks at the box that she left on the desk earlier in the day. She wonders if she should put the rest of them away. She decides against it. She moves over to the window in the room, opening the blinds to let more natural light in. She notices her room overlooks the backyard, not a bad view at all. 

She moves back over to the desk and picks up the phone box that she left there. She thinks about opening it, but sets it back on the desk. 

“It’s not going to bite,” Chrissy’s voice comes from the doorway. She didn’t hear the door open and she jumps a little. “Sorry, didn’t mean to scare you. You ready to go to this game?” She asks. Nicole looks up to see she is now dressed mostly in blue. She wears a blue tee shirt that says ‘Blue Devils’ across the chest, with a white spandex shirt underneath. Her hair is in a ponytail and she has what Nicole refers to as blue war paint under her eyes.

“You really don’t have to take me with you, you know,” Nicole tells her. She knows Chrissy has some boy she’s trying to impress and probably doesn’t want her tagging along. 

“My dad insists,” Chrissy reminds her. She’s trying to make it seem like she supports that decision, but she knows she doesn’t. 

“What he doesn’t know won’t hurt him, right?” Nicole laughs a little. She sits down on the bed. 

“Look, I know neither of us are very thrilled with this situation here,” Chrissy says, gesturing back and forth between the two of them. “But you don’t really want to piss him off. He’s cool, but when he gets mad…” she trails off. 

“Alright, alright!” Nicole groans. “What’s the big deal about this game anyway?” She asks. She’s never heard of having a football game before school starts. 

“It’s the first home game of the season,” Chrissy tells her. Her tone makes it seem like this is something Nicole should already know. 

“Not homecoming?” Nicole asks. 

“No, Purgatory likes to have their own traditions,” the blonde tells her. “We play our rivals, it’s a big thing. One last hoorah before school starts in a week. Maybe it’ll be good for you,” she tells her. 

“You think?” Nicole asks. Maybe Chrissy can tell she’s feeling a bit out of place too and is really trying to help. 

“You could get to know some people or whatever. See the way we do things around here,” Chrissy suggests. She makes it sound like it isn’t the worst idea in the world. 

“Couldn’t think of a more exciting way to spend my first night in town,” Nicole says, her tone flooding with sarcasm. 

“There’s a party afterwards. You party?” Chrissy asks. Nicole laughs. She’s not sure what she really means by that, but she’s sure the partying she’s seen is much different than the ones here. 

“Life’s one big party in the city,” she teases. Chrissy huffs and turns to leave the room. 

“Meet me in the car in five minutes,” she huffs on the way out the door. Nicole groans and throws herself back on the bed. After a minute of sulking, she stands and looks at her clothes, wondering if she should wear something blue to fit in better. She opts for a black fitted tee shirt instead, changing from what she was currently wearing. She grabs a blue flannel, figuring it’s close enough, wraps it around her waist and heads out the door. 

When she makes it outside, she sees Chrissy is already sitting in her car, blasting her music. Nicole hops in the passenger side of the car and Chrissy barely acknowledges her before putting the car into drive and exiting the property. The drive to the school isn’t long. Nicole remembers passing it on the way to the house. 

The wheels of Chrissy’s car come to a screeching halt at she parks in the lot. Nicole cringes at the sound. Chrissy hops out of the car faster than Nicole does. By the time Nicole is fully out of the car, she sees the other girl taking off around the building, toward the football field, behind the school. She closes the door and sees Chrissy lift her hand up, locking the car with a beep. “See ya,” Nicole says, softly. She shoves her hands in her pockets, sucks in a breath of air, and makes her way toward the football field. “This should be interesting.” 

  
  
  


———————

  
  
  
  


By the time she makes it around the school, she sees a large crowd has already arrived. The bleachers on one side of the field are filled with people all dressed in blue. They’re loud and excited. The other side is filled with people all in green. Must be the rivals. She heads toward the blue side, even though she feels like it might be safer with the green team. She sees Chrissy over by the fence, near a pack of cheerleaders. She wonders if one of them is the girl she heard her talking to on the phone earlier. She notices one of the girls pointing toward a couple of football players. Chrissy pushes the girl and hides her face. That must be the boy she likes. 

She scans the stands a little. She’s not sure why she does that. It’s not like she’s going to see anyone she knows. The only person she sort of knows wants nothing to do with her. She’s not sure if she should sit down or just continue standing awkwardly near the bleachers until it’s dark enough for her to officially disappear from sight. She leans up against the railing on one side of the bleachers. 

“You look happy to be here,” a voice comes from behind her. She turns around and she’s still not sure where it’s coming from. “Under here,” the voice says. Nicole realizes there’s a girl under the bleachers looking back at her. She gives her a confused look, leaning down to get a better view. “This is where the real party is.” 

“Yeah, no thanks,” Nicole says. “I’ve seen enough horror films to know not to follow the voice into dark places,” she laughs. 

“Damn,” the girl says. “Am I that scary?” She comes closer to where Nicole has now stepped back from the bleachers. She takes a better look at the girls face. She’s actually pretty hot. 

“Um, no,” she stutters a little. She looks around her for a moment, as if she is making sure she’s really the one that the girl is talking to. 

“Man, are you always this awkward?” The girl asks. Nicole shakes her head and tries to breath. 

“No,” Nicole says. “Sorry, just thrown off,” she admits. She didn’t really expect anyone to talk to her tonight. 

“You must be new here,” the girl laughs. Nicole nods.

“What gave it away?” Nicole laughs. She feels herself loosening up a bit. 

“I can tell when someone is born and raised here,” the girl admits. “Usually they have a stick up their ass.” She lets out a laugh at her own joke and puts her hand out for Nicole to shake. “I’m Wynonna.” 

“Nicole,” she says, shaking Wynonna’s hand. “Nicole Haught.”

“Want a drink?” Wynonna asks. She holds up a brown paper bag with a bottle clearly on the inside. Nicole’s eyes widen a little, she's unsure if she should take the offer. It’s her first night in this new place and she lives with a police officer. Is underage drinking really her first peer activity she’s going to participate in? 

She nods and follows Wynonna back under the bleachers. She takes the bag from the brunette’s hand and takes a swig. It feels warm as it hits her tongue and goes smoothly down her throat. 

“Thanks,” she says. She feels her body relaxing for the first time since she arrived at the school. 

“So, what’s your story?” Wynonna asks. Nicole thinks she hasn’t had enough to drink to unload that information on a complete stranger. 

“I, uh,” she starts to stutter a little. She takes the bag from Wynonna’s hand again and takes another drink. 

“Dude, there you are!” A voice comes from behind them. “Replace me already?” The girl huffs, gesturing toward Nicole. Nicole puts her hands up and takes a step back causing Wynonna to laugh. 

“Oh my god,” Wynonna snorts out a laugh. “Relax, Haught.” Nicole lets out the breath she was holding. The other girl takes the bottle from her hand and chugs some of the liquid. 

“I’m just kidding,” she laughs. “I’m Rosita.” Nicole smiles and shakes her hand. 

“Nicole.” 

“Nicole here was just about to tell me what brings her to the wonderful, annual Purgatory back to school football game,” Wynonna informs her. Nicole squints her eyes and shakes her head. 

“No, she wasn’t,” she laughs. She turns to look out through the bleachers. She mostly has a view of other people’s legs as they settle into seats above them. 

One person moves for a moment, giving her a clear view of the cheerleaders who are working on warmup stretches. One in particular catches her eye as she bends forward to stretch. Her wavy, brown hair from her long ponytail falls forward toward the ground in front of her. Her muscular legs radiate in what’s left of the sunlight. Nicole’s eyes can’t help but wander up the full length of her body as she stands to an upright position. She sees the girl turn toward another cheerleader and smile. The squint of her eyes, the glow of her cheeks, who is that? 

“Earth to Haught stuff,” Wynonna says as she waves her hand in front of her face, breaking Nicole from her trance. 

“Huh?” Nicole says. She realizes both girls are staring back at her and she quickly takes the bottle back for another drink. “So you guys go to school here?” She smiles at them, pretending nothing happened. 

“I’m a senior,” Rosita tells her. 

“Finally,” Wynonna teases. Rosita slaps her on the arm causing Nicole to give them a confused look. 

“Okay, so I failed one year,” Rosita huffs. “At least I didn’t graduate already and still hang around high school football games,” she teases as she looks at Wynonna. 

“You know very well that my dad would murder me if I wasn’t here to support my sister,” Wynonna huffs. She takes a mother drink. 

“You’re so supportive,” Rosita says sarcastically, she takes the bottle from Wynonna again. 

“Dad’s not even here,” Wynonna retorts. “He never said I had to watch the game. Besides, she doesn’t do much until halftime.” Nicole watches the banter between the two girls, unsure if or when she should chime in. She’s trying to pick up details from their conversation to answer several questions that she has. “Enough about me and my perfect family,” Wynonna jokes, rolling her eyes. “So where are you from?” She turns her attention toward Nicole. 

“The city,” Nicole finally tells them. 

“Ooh city girl,” Rosita says with a grin. 

“Down girl,” Wynonna says, putting her hand out in front of Rosita. Nicole laughs. “Why the hell are you in this hell hole?” 

“I’m not sure any of us are drunk enough for that conversation,” Nicole says. She takes the bottle from Rosita’s hand, causing both girls to laugh.

“I mean, we can make guesses,” Rosita teases. Nicole isn’t sure she’s ready to play that game. She takes another swig of alcohol and hands it to Wynonna, who is holding her hand out for it.

“It was either here or juvy,” Nicole admits. Both girls’ eyes widen and Nicole immediately regrets giving them that information. She feels the warm liquid starting to course through her veins, which isn’t helping her stay very mysterious. 

There's a loud roar of cheering coming from bleachers above them, interrupting them from their conversation. Nicole sighs out of relief, thankful for the interruption. She hears a voice coming over the loudspeaker, announcing the start of the football game. The man’s voice starts listing names that Nicole has never heard before. 

More cheering erupts in between each name. She peers through the bleachers toward the field. She sees the players running toward the center of the field from the end zones. She hasn’t spent much time at football games in the past, so it’s all pretty new to her. Her eyes continue to scan, landing back on the cheerleaders who are now jumping around and waving their pom poms as they cheer for each player of their team. 

She can’t help but find herself watching the same cheerleader again. There’s something about her that’s captivating Nicole. “You okay, Haught?” Wynonna asks. 

“Just observing,” she says. Her gaze hasn’t broken from the cheerleader yet. She’s feeling the buzz from the alcohol a little more now. She hasn’t felt a desire to be close to another human being in over a year and she didn’t think she ever would again. 

“None of those football players are worth it, I’m gonna warn you right now,” Rosita says. She slurs a little in her speech. 

“Rosita would know too,” Wynonna laughs. Rosita glares back at her and pushes her playfully. 

“Says the girl who dated half the team last year,” Rosita argues. 

“Define date,” Wynonna says, using air quotes when she says the word ‘date.’ 

“Touché,” Rosita laughs, pointing a finger back at Wynonna. Nicole laughs. She’s enjoying watching the two going back and forth, taking the focus away from her checking out the cheerleader. 

“None of them are worth it though, trust me,” Wynonna huffs. She turns to face the field, watching the players making their way toward the sidelines for halftime. 

“You might want to tell your sister that then,” Rosita warns. “Because rumor has it, Hardy has his eyes on her again.” 

“Rumor has it I’m going to kick his ass if he touches her,” Wynonna says. Nicole is impressed with how quickly her tone went from playful to protective in five seconds. 

“Over protective big sister alert,” Rosita teases. Nicole laughs. She looks back toward the field to see the cheerleaders have made their way to the center of the field. Wynonna sets the bottle down and leads the girls out from under the bleachers to watch the routine. 

“Dad can’t tell me I didn’t watch,” Wynonna says. She takes her phone out to record the routine, leaning on the fence in front of her. 

Rosita and Nicole hang back watching the routine. Nicole’s eyes focus on the movements of the cheerleaders. Watching as their arms and legs move in ways she could probably never move in. She feels a set of eyes on her, ignoring it at first. Rosita coughs and nudges Nicole, gaining her attention. “They’re pretty good, huh?” She teases. 

“What?” Nicole asks. She turns quickly to see Rosita laughing. 

“It’s cool,” Rosita assures her. “Secrets safe with me.” It's not that Nicole has ever really kept it a secret, she just isn’t sure if she’s ready to be the new girl, foster kid, the one on probation and to top it all off, the gay one. She smiles back at Rosita before turning her attention back toward the field. 

After their routine, cheers erupt from the stands again and the cheerleaders make their way back to the sidelines, preparing for the second half of the game. Nicole gets a closer look at the cheerleader that caught her eye. 

She’s even more beautiful close up. She smiles toward the crowd, Nicole swears she made eye contact with her for a moment but she quickly looks away, turning away from the field. She sees Chrissy sitting a few rows back on the bleachers. She’s surrounded by a few other teenagers and they’re chatting. She’s not sure if she should say ‘hi’ or just continue to pretend that they don’t know each other. 

When Chrissy doesn’t pay any attention to her, she turns to see where Rosita and Wynonna went. At least they give her the time of day. She didn’t blame Chrissy. It’s not like she told her she was taking her to the game to introduce her to people. She said she was taking there so her dad didn’t get mad, what else did she expect?

Rosita and Wynonna are now seated at the bottom of the bleachers, a little ways away from Chrissy. They gesture for her to join them. She smiles and heads over to them. The sun has gone down and the air cooled off quite a bit. She takes her flannel from her waist and puts it on, leaving it open so it’s hanging loose on her body. She plops down on the cold, hard metal next to Rosita. “Where’s the bottle?” She asks, leaning over to see Wynonna. 

“Ditched it under the bleachers,”Wynonna tells her. “Can’t get caught with that shit,” she laughs. 

“Imagine those headlines,” Rosita chimes in. “Mayor’s daughter caught drinking underage at back to school night!” She puts her hands out in front of her as she pictures it. 

“Mayor’s daughter?” Nicole asks. 

“Oh yeah,” Rosita says. “We’re in the presence of royalty here, Haught.” She laughs and nudges Nicole as Wynonna huffs and shakes her head at them. 

“I might have to retrieve that bottle soon,” Wynonna jokes. 

By the time the game ended, the three girls were back under the bleachers finishing what was left of the bottle. People start to move on the bleachers above them and they duck back, further out of sight. They’re about to leave their spot under the bleachers when Nicole hears Chrissy and another girl talking around the other side of the bleachers. 

“Who’s that girl who was walking behind you when you got here?” The girl asks. 

“Huh?” Chrissy asks. She’s not sure if she’s actually confused or playing dumb. 

“The mysterious redhead,” the girl tells her. Nicole swallows hard at the mention of herself. “No one’s seen her before so people are asking.”

“Oh, uh, she’s my, uh, cousin,” Chrissy stutters. Cousin? Good cover. Not. 

“You have a cousin that I don't know about?” The girl continues pressing her with questions. 

“Oh uh, on my Mom’s side. They needed help. You know how he is with charity cases,” Chrissy laughs a little. 

Nicole turns around to see Wynonna and Rosita staring back at her as she listens in on the conversation. She stares blankly at them, trying to brush the comments that she just overheard off. Rosita looks at her, sympathetically and hands her the brown paper bag. Nicole takes a swig of the rest of the liquid inside the bottle, feeling it burn its way down her esophagus. 

“Thanks,” she says as she hands the bottle back to the girl. 

“Chrissy Nedley sucks,” Wynonna groans. “Don’t let her bother you.” 

“Wait, you’re related to the Nedleys?” Rosita asks. 

“No, I’m not related to them,” Nicole huffs. “I just live there.” She hopes the questions will stop there but she assumes they won’t. 

“Okay, I’m gonna need more details than that. You live with Randy Nedley?!” Wynonna asks. She is a little louder than she hoped she’d be and Nicole gets nervous and looks around her. 

“Yeah, he’s friends with my, uh, probation officer from the city. He’s kind of doing us a favor,” Nicole explains, hesitantly. She’s not sure how much information she should give people if she wants them to actually like her. 

“Probation?” Rosita asks. She doesn’t seem disappointed, but more intrigued. 

“Haught stuff has a bad side?” Wynonna teases. She nudges the redhead with her elbow and Nicole smiles nervously. 

“Everybody has a past, right?” She asks with a shrug. Wynonna and Rosita nod, almost in approval. Do they prefer her with a record? She shakes the thoughts from her head and for now just enjoys the fact that she found people that seem to be willing to give her a shot. 


	3. Chapter 3

As they make their way out from under the bleachers, Nicole sees Chrissy heading toward the parking lot with a group of other people, none of which she knows yet. She sees her walking closely next to a tall boy wearing a football jersey. She assumes that’s Robin by the way Chrissy is practically throwing herself at him. 

“Thanks for the booze guys,” she says, turning back toward Rosita and Wynonna who are lingering behind her. “I should probably get going.” 

“You’re not going to that party, are you?” Wynonna huffs. Nicole isn’t sure if she’s expected to be there, but she assumes she’s not based on the fact that she was just ditched by the person who drove her to the game.

“Nah,” Nicole says. “I’m probably just going to go back to the house.” 

“A night with Randy Nedley sounds riveting,” Wynonna mocks. Nicole rolls her eyes. 

“He’s not home,” she informs them. 

“So we should party there then?” Rosita suggests. Nicole can’t tell if she’s being serious or not. Her eyes widen and she shakes her head. 

“Terrible idea,” she says. 

Rosita breaks out into laughter. “Relax, Red,” she says. “I’m kidding.” Nicole breathes out an audible sigh of relief. “We’re meeting up with a few people if you want to join.” 

Nicole wonders if she should just go back to the house, where she knows she’s not going to make any poor decisions. Her thoughts don’t last long and she agrees to go with them, hell, she’s not even sure where the house is from here. 

She hops in the backseat of Rosita’s car, Wynonna takes the front. Wynonna immediately takes control of the radio, causing Rosita to slap her hand away. “My car, my music,” she says. Nicole laughs. 

“You sounds like my probation officer,” she says. She realizes as soon as the words leave her mouth how uncool that sounds. The other two girls laugh rather loudly. 

“Damn, Haught, how much time do you spend with your probation officer?” Wynonna snorts out a laugh. 

“He’s been around for a while,” she admits. 

“There must be a lot of trouble to get into in the city,” Rosita laughs. 

“You have no idea,” Nicole replies. 

She closes her eyes and remembers, for a moment, her life in the city. She sees the small group of people she once called her friends. She sees the blonde from her sketchbook. She sees her smile, her blues eyes. She takes a deep breathe in through her nose, letting it out slowly through her mouth. One by one the people fade from her sight. The blonde stays the longest, she usually does. Then she’s alone in her thoughts. 

“Well, is he hot at least?” Wynonna’s voice causes Nicole to open her eyes again. She’s back in the car, riding through the streets of Purgatory. Her new home. Her new life. 

“Not sure he would be Haught’s type,” Rosita chimes in. She covers her mouth quickly like she said something wrong. Wynonna gives her a confused look and Nicole shakes her head at the pair. 

“It’s fine,” Nicole assures her. Wynonna is still confused for a moment. She looks back at forth between Rosita and Nicole until they see the lightbulb go off in her mind and they break out into laughter. 

“Oh!” Wynonna says, knowingly. 

The car comes to a stop in a driveway that already has a few cars in it. As Nicole climbs out of the car, she looks to her left to see the driveway of the house next door is flooding with cars. The sound of music fills the air and she sees a few people hopping out of nearby cars, heading toward the house cheering ‘go blue!’ She never understood the hype of high school sports. They were fun to watch but sometimes people make a bigger deal out of them than they should. Not every player is going to be a professional athlete, even if they act like they are. 

She sees Wynonna gesture for her to follow them and she turns toward the quieter house. “That’s the cool party,” she says sarcastically, gesturing to the house next door. Nicole laughs and follows Wynonna and Rosita into the house. 

Inside there are a few people sitting around a table together. There are bottles of beer and cards set out of the table. “It’s about time!” One of the girls says as she stands up from her chair. 

“Yeah, Yeah,” Wynonna huffs. “The game took forever!” She makes her way further into the room, grabbing an unopened beer from the table. She holds it up and the girl nods. Wynonna pops the drink open and takes a sip. 

“Did you even watch it?” The girl asks. Wynonna laughs and shakes her head. Everyone seems to already know the answer to that. “Who’s your friend?” The girl asks, looking past Wynonna at Nicole. 

“Sorry guys, this is Nicole Haught. Fresh meat from the city,” Wynonna laughs as she gestures toward the redhead. “Haught this is Mercedes, Kate, Pete and Kyle York and John Henry Holliday. But everyone calls him Doc.”

“Doc Holliday?” Nicole asks. 

“It’s a family name,” Doc says with a laugh. Nicole laughs and nods. She gets a unanimous ‘nice to meet you from the crowd’ and takes a seat at the table next to Wynonna. The next hour or so is spent playing poker at the table. Nicole learns that Pete and Kyle are serious table talkers. No one trusts that they aren’t cheating and since one of them usually wins, she assumes they most likely are. 

They play more hands than she can count and after a while, people start to stay from the table. Wynonna and Doc have disappeared several times and returned back to the game. This time they’ve been gone for a while and Nicole is unsure if they’re going to come back. Rosita tells her not to hold her breath and invites her out back to hang out with her while she smokes. Nicole accepts and follows the other girl outside. 

“You smoke?” Rosita asks, holding out a cigarette to the redhead. 

“Oh,” Nicole says. She shakes her hand to decline. “No thanks.” She even surprises herself for a moment at the effort she’s making to make good choices, other than the underage drinking thing.

Rosita shrugs and places the cigarette in her mouth, lighting it up and taking a long drag. She blows out a cloud of smoke, attempting to keep it away from Nicole.

“So how much are you actually liking Purgatory?” She asks. Nicole lets out a small laugh. She moves to the edge of the deck that they’re standing on and leans over the railing. 

“It’s okay,” Nicole says. Truthfully she hasn’t really had time to make a real judgement on the place. All she knows right now it that it’s different. 

“Not what you’re used to, huh?” Rosita asks. Her tone is soft and she seems like she actually cares. 

“Not quite,” Nicole says. “I’m sure I’ll get used to it.” 

“Don’t get too used to it,” Rosita warns. Nicole isn’t sure what she means by that, she turns her body around to face her. “This place eats people alive,” she continues. 

“I don’t think I’ll ever stay in one place for long enough to get eaten alive by anything,” Nicole admits. “Roots aren’t really my thing.” 

“By choice or just how the cards played out?” Rosita asks. She’s smart. She seems to be able to read through bullshit better than anyone she’s ever met. 

“You seem smart,” Nicole says with a grin. “What do you think?” Rosita takes a step toward Nicole. She watches her carefully as she stands next to her, close enough where she just barely brushes against Nicole’s arm. She leans over the railing a little, tapping her cigarette on the edge, allowing the ashes to fall to the ground. 

“I think you put up a front,” Rosita admits. She turns to lean up against the railing, standing next to Nicole. “I think you don’t let people in because you never know when you’ll have to start over again.” 

Well, she hit the nail on the head. 

“I guess,” Nicole shrugs. 

Their attention is suddenly redirected to the house next door when there is the sound of yelling and a splash. Rosita shakes her head and Nicole turns her body to get a better view. 

“Is this how they always are?” 

“They always host the annual back to school game after party,” Rosita explains. 

“Are you friends with any of them?” Nicole asks. She can’t help but notice the girls that are standing next to the pool. She recognizes one as Chrissy and the other as the cheerleader from earlier. 

“A few of them are okay,” Rosita admits. Chrissy is standing with the tall, blonde guy from earlier. He looks like he’s trying to push her into the pool. She hears her scream in protest as she tries to turn the tables and throw him in instead. “What’s living with her like?” She asks.

Nicole turns her attention back toward Rosita. “She’s not as bad as she seems,” she laughs. There’s another splash and Nicole looks toward the neighbor’s pool. She sees Chrissy and the boy are now in the pool and the other girl is standing on the outside of the pool laughing at them. She stops and stares at her a little longer. 

“Would you rather be over there?” Rosita asks. 

Nicole breaks her stare and turns her attention back toward Rosita again. She places her hand on the other girl’s arm, not really realizing that she did. 

“No,” Nicole says. She looks back over her shoulder a few times. Rosita’s eyes appear to light up as if she realizes who Nicole’s gaze has been on. 

“She’s nice,” Rosita says. Nudging Nicole in the side a little. Nicole immediately turns her back toward the neighbor's house as if she has no idea what she’s talking about. 

“What?” Nicole asks. Rosita laughs and shakes her head at Nicole. She takes another drag of her cigarette before putting it out and tossing it over the railing.

“Don’t play dumb with me, Haught,” Rosita laughs. She gestures across to the girl standing by the pool. “You’ve been checking her out all night.” 

“I have not!” Nicole huffs. Playfully pushing Rosita. 

“Well, I’m just saying,” Rosita says. “She’s nice.”

“You know her?” Nicole asks. She brings her attention back to her for a moment before making eye contact with Rosita again. 

“Everyone does,” Rosita laughs. “And you could have picked a worse girl to have your eyes on, so good job.” 

She nudges Nicole again. Nicole shakes her head and takes a swig of the drink she has been holding. 

“Like who?” Nicole asks. The alcohol is still coursing their her veins. The air is cool, it’s late. She feels the air on her face and notices the space closing in between her and the other girl. She feels their shoulders brush lightly and she doesn’t move away. 

“Like, uh, Wynonna.” This is the first time she has seen Rosita’s smoothness falter all night. The girl is good with her words and always seems to carry herself with confidence. “Or me,” she says, bravely. 

Nicole appreciates her boldness and she feels Rosita’s fingers brush her own on the railing. Nicole takes another sip of her drink. They both begin to lean in toward each other, closing the gap even further between then. She licks her lips and leans in until she can feel the other girl’s breath against her own. They linger for a moment. The smell of alcohol and cigarettes mix, filling her senses. She closes her eyes and feels Rosita begin to move again when there’s another splash next door, causing them to jolt apart, looking to see what happened. 

The sliding glass door of the house slides open and Wynonna appears in the doorway. She’s a bit of a disheveled mess, but doesn’t seem to care. “What are you two nerds doing out here?” She asks, stumbling out into the night air. 

Nicole isn’t sure what to say. She’s not even sure what’s actually going on out there. She knows she’s drunk. She knows Rosita is really pretty and she’s smart. But this is her first night in town. What is she doing? She just wanted to maybe make a couple friends to help pass her time here. This was not the time to find something more than a friendship. But then again, who said it needs to be anything more. She’s made out with plenty of pretty girls without strings. 

“Uh,” Rosita’s voice breaks her from her thoughts. 

“Rosita was having a cig and we were just talking,” Nicole covers for them. It wasn’t a lie. Wynonna looks them both up and down. They’re still standing fairly close to each other. Nicole notices her checking them out and moved a little further from Rosita. “I was about to head back in.” She gestures toward the door. 

After another hour, Rosita asks Nicole if she wants a ride back home. She tells her she’s about to head out and doesn’t want to leave her stranded. Nicole agrees and takes the ride. They don’t discuss what almost happened on the deck on the way home. Nicole thinks about bringing it up, but doesn’t. They chat about various things, passing the time quickly. She has Rosita drop her off at the gate so she can walk back up to the house. “So this was fun,” Rosita says before Nicole can climb out of the car. 

“It really was,” Nicole says. “I needed this more than you know,” she sighs. 

“Well, hit me up whenever you want to hang out,” Rosita says with a smile. Nicole wonders how she is supposed to do that, then remembers normal teenagers actually carry their phones around these days. 

“I don’t have a phone,” Nicole says. “I mean, I do, but I don't know my number,” she admits. Rosita laughs. “It’s new.” 

“Here,” Rosita says, taking Nicole’s hand and flipping it over, palm up. She pulls out a pen and writes her number down on Nicole’s palm. Nicole smiles back at her. 

“Thanks,” she says. She smiles at the girl again and opens the car door, climbing out. She starts walking up the driveway and turns back for a moment, offering Rosita a smile before she rolls back out into the street. 

When she reaches the house, she hopes the door isn’t locked because she doesn’t have a key. She hasn’t seen Chrissy in hours and isn’t sure if she’s still out at the party or not. She slowly opens the front door, hoping she can just sneak up to her room and not get caught exuding a strong stench of alcohol. She’s almost to the top of the stairs and she hears a voice behind her. “Have fun tonight?” Randy asks.

Nicole cringes a little and spins around to face the man. “Yeah, it was great!” She says with a smile. She thinks she’s far enough away from the man for him to not become suspicious. 

“Good! I hope you’re becoming acclimated quickly! Did Chrissy already head upstairs?” He asks. Nicole stops for a second, realizing he doesn’t know they weren’t together all night. 

“Uh, yeah,” she says. She glances down the hallway behind her. “She was pretty tired.” 

She shrugs. 

“I’m glad you two are getting along,” he says with a smile. If he only knew, but she wasn’t going to be the one to tell him. 

“Oh, yeah,” Nicole says. “I’m pretty tired too, I think I’m going to go to bed,” she tells him. 

“Goodnight,” he says as he turns away from the bottom of the stairs, leaving Nicole to head for her room and sleep off her buzz. She’s home free. 

Just then, the front door swings back open and Chrissy appears. Nicole eyes widen in panic and she hopes that Randy has made it far enough away to not notice. 

He notices. She was almost home free. 

“Chrissy?” Randy is confused. He should be. Nicole just blatantly lied to the man. But she was just trying to help. She didn’t want Chrissy to be in trouble. Now she probably got her in trouble. This is just great. She wants to walk away, but she freezes. 

Chrissy stops in her tracks when she sees her father at the bottom of the stairs. Nicole sees the girl look up at her with a panicked look in her eyes. “Man, Nicole, you got in here real fast,” Chrissy tried to make it seem like they came home together. 

“Oh, yeah,” Nicole says. “I thought you were already in the house. I didn’t realize you didn’t make it in yet,” she laughs a little. 

“Nicole,” Randy says. His tone is stern and she cringes a little. “You’re free to go,” he says. “Chrissy, a word.” 

Nicole hesitates to leave. She makes eye contact with Chrissy. She is apologetic, but she can tell Chrissy is mad. No. She’s pissed. Nicole groans internally as she spins on her heels and heads down the hall. 

She leaves her door open, straining to hear the conversation between Chrissy and her dad. She can’t make out much of what they’re saying, but their voices are raised and she can tell neither of them are happy. 

“I’m not her babysitter!” She hears Chrissy yell. Maybe she shouldn’t be listening to this conversation. Maybe she doesn’t actually want to know. A few moments later, she hears footsteps coming up the stairs. She peeks her head out of her room and sees an angry Chrissy stomping her way down the hall. She tries to offer her a soft smile, hoping to give her some comfort. Chrissy glares back at Nicole and turns toward her room, slamming the door behind her. 

  
  


——————-

  
  


The next week is fairly uneventful. Chrissy is grounded for ditching Nicole the night of the game. Nicole tries to tell Randy that she didn’t care and didn’t try to go with Chrissy so it was equally her fault, but he doesn’t want to hold her responsible for it. She tries to talk to Chrissy, telling her that she was just trying to cover for her to help her. She explains that she doesn’t care that she left her, but Chrissy doesn’t want to hear it. Most of the conversations are had with Nicole being the only one talking and it’s mostly through Chrissy’s bedroom door.

Two days before school starts, Dolls drops in to check in on how Nicole is doing in her new placement so far. “You could have just called,” Nicole huffs when she sees the man waiting downstairs for her by the front door. 

“And risk not getting the chance for some first hand teenage sass?” Dolls retorts. “Sorry, kid, it’s my job,” he informs her. 

Nicole groans as she sits in the front seat of Dolls’ car. She agrees to talk about her new placement over lunch if he promises to leave right after. They settle on a local diner on the outskirts of town. She hopes that it’s not a very busy place and that she won’t see any familiar faces. She still hasn’t gotten to know anyone except for Wynonna and Rosita, but she’s learned a lot of faces from her morning runs. She always tries to be friendly and wave at the neighbors as she runs through town, something that didn’t happen often in the city. Hell, she was lucky if someone made eye contact with her there. 

As they enter the diner she notices it’s littered with teenagers. The good thing is, she doesn’t really know any of them yet. She slides into a booth across from Dolls. “So are you settling in alright?” The man asks as he takes his seat across from Nicole. 

“Yeah,” she says. “It’s great here,” she’s trying not to convey too much sarcasm. Truth is, she doesn’t know the place all that well. So far she has made a couple of friends that she’s only seen once, she has a foster sister that she’s pretty hates her and she starts her senior year of high school in place unlike anything she’s ever experienced. 

“I hope you at least give it a shot,” he warns. He knows her well. He’s never been duped by her facades. A waitress comes over to take their order. They order a couple of burgers and fries. 

“And a Dr. Pepper,” Nicole says with a polite smile. The waitress nods as she leaves the table. “I am giving it a shot,” Nicole tells Dolls. “It’s just all so new still. It’s kind of hard to give you a full review of my time here.” 

“I just wanted to make sure we’re making a good choice here,” Dolls explains. “And that you’re making good choices here,” he warns. 

“Yeah, yeah,” she huffs. “Look, I’ll be eighteen soon and then I’ll just figure it out on my own, right?” 

“How about you focus on starting school in a couple of days and leave the worrying to us?” Dolls suggests. He’s usually fairly tough on the outside, but at times she can see that he truly cares. “I think school is the least of my worries,” she admits. She looks around the restaurant at the other teenagers. She sees how they interact with each other like they’ve known each other forever. They probably have. 

Nicole wonders for a moment what it would be like to grow up in one place. She wonders what it would be like to not move from home to home, not sure what’s going to happen next. She knows that is something she’s never going to experience. 

“I know it’s not easy,” Dolls tells her. The waitress appears at the table with their food. Nicole smiles and thanks her for bringing her food. She immediately dives into eating the pile of fries in front of her. 

“Nothings ever easy,” Nicole says between bites. “I can hold my own,” she assures him. 

“Oh,” Dolls starts. “I have no doubt in that,” he laughs. “So I also wanted to talk to you about your community service.” 

Nicole cringes. She was hoping he forgot. “That's still a thing?” She asks. The man in front of her nods, causing Nicole to groan. “Okay, what do I have to do?” 

“You earned yourself trash duty,” The man says with a smirk. 

“They hardly have highways around here,” Nicole tells him. She’s not new to trash duty by any means. 

“But there is a park,” he informs her. Nicole groans and takes a bite of her burger. “You’ll report two days a week, after school, for six weeks.”

Nicole sighs and sets her burger back down on her plate. “Sounds great,” she says as she smiles through her teeth. 

“Just remember,” Dolls begins. 

“I know, I know,” Nicole huffs. “I did it to myself!” 

She leans her elbows on the table and finishes eating her food. They chat idly for the rest of the meal. She has to admit, there's a part of her that misses having someone around to talk to. 

Dolls drops her back off at the house when they’re done and lets her know he will check in again in the next couple of weeks. She thanks him for the meal and makes her way into the house. 

Chrissy is still giving her the cold shoulder for the most part. She doesn’t bother to try to talk to her again. Everytime she does, she doesn’t get far. It’s exhausting. 

She spends the rest of the day in her room. She decides to draw a little. She starts sketches of some of the people she’s met so far. She draws Chrissy. She wonders if she’ll ever have any form of relationship with her other than being hated by her. 

She draws Randy. She wonders if she’s seen the real Randy yet. So far she sees nothing but sweet. He was nice enough to buy her some school supplies and a backpack for school. He thinks of things she would never think to ask for. Chrissy seems to have a different idea of who her father is, but Nicole can’t quite figure it out yet. 

She hears laughter outside her window that breaks her concentration from her drawing. She stands up and peers out the window, between the blinds. She sees Chrissy outside with the cheerleader from the other night. She must have been sprung from her grounding sentence. She quietly watches the pair for a moment. She wonders if Chrissy is keeping up the charade that Nicole is just her cousin who’s from ‘the other side of the tracks’ and needed a little help. What is the girl going to think when she shows up at school with her? She wonders if she even knows that Nicole lives there. She decides not to rock that boat and sits back down with her sketchbook. 

  
  
  


——————-   
  
  
  


Nicole wakes up the morning of the first day of school easier than she thought she would. She’s not particularly excited about school, but she’s more ready to get it over with. She tries to push aside the fact that she’s nervous about the first day and makes her way down to the kitchen for breakfast. She pours herself a bowl of cereal and sits down at the table next to Chrissy. She offers her a ‘good morning’ but only received a grunt back from the other girl. 

“Dad, why does she have to come with me?” Chrissy whines. She talks about her like she’s in the room with her. “She can walk.” She gestures toward Nicole. Nicole ignores her, continuing to eat the bowl of cereal that’s in front of her. 

“You’re going to make her walk two miles when you have a perfectly nice car that I’ve provided you with?” Randy asks as if she even has a choice in the matter. 

“Then provide her with one too!” Chrissy suggests. Nicole hates that idea. She doesn’t need someone to give her a car. She doesn’t even know how to drive one. 

“She doesn’t have a license,” Randy tells her. Nicole wonders if they think she can’t hear them while they continue to talk about her right in front of her face. 

“And who’s fault is that?” Chrissy groans. 

“When you live in the city, there’s not much need for a car,” Nicole chimes in. Chrissy glares back at her as if that’s not the answer she wanted. 

“Listen,” Randy says, sternly. “Either you girls drive together or I’m driving you and you won’t have your car at school.” 

The ultimatum. 

“What? Not fair!” Chrissy whines. She stomps her feet in a childlike way and causes Nicole to shake her head at her. 

“Does that make you change your mind?” Randy asks. Chrissy just shoots him a bitter look and doesn’t respond. 

“I can walk,” Nicole tells them. She doesn’t really want to cause anymore turmoil between Chrissy and her father. “It’s really okay.” She finishes her bowl of cereal and stands from her seat. 

“See!” Chrissy calls out, gesturing toward the redhead. 

“Christine,” Randy says in a warning tone. “Keep it up and you get a police escort for the rest of the year.” 

Chrissy groans loudly, slamming her fist on the counter, dramatically. “Great start to my senior year, dad!”

“You’re young, you’ll survive,” he teases. He clearly doesn’t find as much pitty in the situation as Chrissy is looking for. 

Nicole laughs from entertainment and Chrissy scoffs. “Fine.” She crosses her arms across her chest in frustration. “I’ll be in the car.” 

Nicole watches as Chrissy leaves the house, but not before closing the door a little harder than normal. She offers Randy a soft smile. “Have a good first day,” he tells her. 

“Thanks,” Nicole says as she swings her backpack over her shoulder and heads for the front door of the house. When she exits the house she sees Chrissy already in her car, reluctantly waiting for her. 

She climbs in the car, setting her backpack in her lap and closes the door next to her. She doesn’t say anything to Chrissy at first, mostly because she’s not sure of what to say. 

They’re about halfway to the school before Chrissy finally speaks. “Look, no offense or anything but this is my senior year,” she begins. “And carting around a foster sibling is sort of social suicide. No one knows you actually live with me.”

“Oh, sure,” Nicole says. “No offense taken, Chrissy,” she says sarcastically. She doesn’t let it bother her. She’s not interested in arguing with Chrissy, she just needed to get to school. 

When they arrive at the school, Chrissy doesn’t wait for her to get out of the car before she heads for the building. She doesn’t make a big deal out of it. She looks around her as she heads for the front doors of the school. 

She notices people around her all rushing up to each other. She witnesses several reunions of friends, excited to see each other after the summer. She hears some exclamations of excitement for the new school year, some complaints that summer went by too fast and the occasional cheers of school pride from a few students yelling ‘go blue’ again. 

When she enters the school, she heads for the front office to retrieve a schedule. They ask for her name and print her off a small stack of papers that she tucks into her backpack without reading them first. They direct her to the principal’s office, explaining that she likes to meet new students before the start of the day. 

She knocks three times on the closed door. After a moment, the door swings open and an older, blonde woman stands on the other side. 

“Nicole Haught,” the woman offers her hand, giving her a firm handshake. “I’m principal Lucado. I just wanted to take a moment to welcome you to our school and hopefully make this a smooth transition for you.” She gives her a warm smile. 

“Thank you, ma’am,” Nicole says with a reciprocal smile. She feels her nerves subside a bit. 

“If you need anything, feel free to come talk to me,” she continues. “My door is always open.” Nicole nods. She thinks back to having to knock on the closed door before she was able to come into the office in the first place. 

Principal Lucado goes on to explain some of the special events that will take place throughout the school year. Her old school had a few dances here and there, the main ones being homecoming and prom. Other than that they didn’t have too many other events that didn’t include a sports game. 

“And then there’s the fall camping trip,” the principal continues. Nicole squints in confusion, not quite sure what that means. She waits for an explanation. The woman continues on to explain that toward the end of the fall quarter, Senior students go on a camping trip. Nicole nods as she listens to the woman talk. She’s never heard of a class camping trip, but it sounds like it could be pretty cool. 

She thanks Principal Lucado again for her time and takes her schedule back out of her backpack. She finds her first class of the day is math. She internally groans. She’s not bad at math, but starting everyday with it isn’t exactly what she wants to do. She heads out the door, attempting to make it to her class before she’s too late, putting more eyes on her than necessary.    
  


She skips trying to figure out her locker and heads straight for her first class of the day. There are a few lingering students in the halls still. Teachers stand in the hallways, calling out to people to get to class. Nicole finds the right classroom and ducks inside, hoping to slip under the radar and not be called out for being new. She takes a seat somewhere in the middle of the room. 

The other students in the class are mostly chatting with each other, talking about their summers. She slides her backpack under her seat and leans her elbows on the desk in front of her. Attempting to not make eye contact with people, she begins to pick at her fingers. 

There’s movement in the seat in front of her that causes her to look up. She sees a familiar face on the girl who sits down. The girl turns toward her and offers her a warm smile. Nicole smiles back but not before feeling a flutter in her stomach. 

She spends the rest of the class slightly distracted by the girl in front of her. Every once in a while, she gets a whiff of her perfume. It’s not strong but she smells good. She tries to follow along with what the teacher is talking about, but her mind often wanders back to the girl. She wishes she would turn around, just for a moment, so she could catch another glimpse of her smile. 

The next time she sees the girl isn’t until her class right before lunch. History has never been one of Nicole’s strong points. It’s not that she didn’t do well in history, memorizing facts wasn’t difficult for Nicole, but it was never interesting to her. When she sees the girl come into the room she hopes that she will sit next to her, or anywhere that she can get a better view of her. Maybe it will make the class more interesting. 

She’s pleasantly surprised when she takes the seat next to her. She smiles at her again. “Hey,” Nicole finally says. 

She feels brave for a moment. She’s not sure what took her so long. She’s usually on her game with pretty girls, but there’s something about this one that has her mind spinning. 

“Hey,” the girl says. She smiles so big it makes her eyes squint. “You’re new, right?” She asks. “Stupid question, I know.” 

Nicole can’t help but laugh when the girl laughs. “Yeah,” she says. “I’m Nicole.” 

“Waverly.” 

There is her smile again.


	4. Chapter 4

**** Waverly.

She finally has a name. 

Nicole has trouble focusing throughout the rest of class. Waverly’s name echoes in her head. Finally a name to the face she’s seen so many times before this point. She hears some of what the teacher is saying, but none of it seems important. 

It probably was. 

She hears a unanimous groan flood the room that brings her back to reality. On the whiteboard in the front of the classroom, the teacher writes ‘class projects.’ She feels like she missed something and tries to focus on what the teacher is saying. 

“I’m sure you’ve all heard about the big senior History projects we usually do in the Spring,” the man explains as he turns back toward the class. “Well, good news, we’re doing them in the fall,” he cheers. 

Nicole looks around her to see no one else is excited. The class groans again when they find out they don’t get to pick their partners for this project. He explains that he’s going to leave the list in the back of the room for the class to read on their way out. 

When the bell rings, she watches as people rush toward the back of the room to read the list for the projects. She hangs back by her seat to let more people file out before she makes her way toward the door. She slings her backpack over her right shoulder and turns toward the door. 

“So when do you want to start planning this project?” A voice comes from next to her. She looks up to see Waverly standing next to the list of partners. 

Nicole’s is shocked at first, she must have given Waverly a weird look before she took a look at the list herself because when she looks back at the brunette, there’s a slight look of offense on her face. “Sorry, I didn’t-” She tries to backpedal. “I’m still trying to wrap my head around such a big assignment so early in the school year.” 

Waverly laughs. 

Nicole sighs. 

That was close. 

She internally kicks herself for almost screwing it up the first chance she gets to talk to this girl. 

“That’s okay,” Waverly says, softly. “I figured we can get started as soon as possible on it.” 

“Uh, yeah,” Nicole says. “I mean, we have time, right?” Nicole shrugs. She sees slight frustration on the girl’s face. Apparently that was the wrong answer. It’s the first day of school, they can at least wait until next week. Besides, she has to start her probation sentence after school. She’s sure that’s something that will truly impress Waverly. 

Not. 

“Look, I just need you to take this seriously,” Waverly tells her. Nicole isn’t sure what she did wrong, but she feels like no matter what she says right now, she’s not right. 

“Oh, I will take it very seriously,” Nicole says, grinning at the brunette. Maybe she can try charming her a little. 

“Are you mocking me?” Waverly huffs. Nicole’s eyes widen. 

“What? No!” Nicole says. 

“I’m sure there’s still time to switch partners,” Waverly tells her. She turns toward the teacher’s desk and Nicole stands where she is, still confused. She overhears Waverly asking about a possible change of partners. 

“This escalated quickly,” Nicole says out loud to herself. She watches as the brunette stomps her way back over to her. “How’d that go?” She asks. 

“My house or yours?” Waverly asks. Her tone is a little softer than before. 

“I have plans tonight after school,” Nicole admits. “How about later this week?” She knows she’s not going to get away with pushing this project off so she might as well just give in. 

“Sure,” Waverly says. “Text me your address?” She asks. Nicole realizes Waverly doesn’t know where she lives. She wonders if Chrissy has said any more about her since the football game. Nicole nods and hands Waverly her phone from her back pocket. Waverly types in her number and hands the phone back to Nicole. 

“Waves, are you coming to lunch or what?” Chrissy appears in the doorway to the classroom. Nicole turns and Chrissy looks confused when she sees Nicole getting Waverly’s number. 

“Yeah, sorry,” Waverly says. “We were discussing this project. We were assigned as partners.” 

“Wait, really?” Chrissy asks, surprised. Nicole assumes that Chrissy isn’t excited about her working that closely with her best friend. Nicole smiles back at Chrissy before the pair take off down the hallway together, leaving Nicole behind. Her eyes linger for a moment on the brunette as she walks further down the hall.

“You’re gonna be late to your next class, nerd.” Nicole turns in the direction of the voice to see Rosita leaning against a wall near the classroom. She sighs at the sight of a familiar face. 

“Late for cafeteria food?” Nicole says with a grin, waving her schedule in the air. 

“Oh yeah, you’re going to want to be late for that,” Rosita teases. Nicole laughs and follows the brunette down the hallway. “So how much are you loving Purgatory high school?” Rosita asks in a mocking tone. 

Nicole laughs. “Four classes in and I already have some huge project that’s supposed to take all semester.” 

“Ah, the history project,” Rosita laughs. “I decided I wasn’t going to do that last year. Probably had something to do with why I’m back here again,” she shrugs. 

“You just blew it off?” Nicole asks. She gets not wanting to do school work, but she’s never been able to just totally blow it off. She may not let a lot of people know, but she always took pride in getting good grades. It was one thing she had control of. 

“I got busy,” Rosita shrugs. The bell rings and Rosita looks around her for a moment. “Shit,” she says. Nicole gives her a questioning look. “I’m late to science,” she explains. “I’m trying here. I’ll catch you later, Haught.”

“Alright, nerd,” Nicole teases. Rosita pushes her, playfully, and ducks into a nearby classroom. 

Nicole turns the corner in search for the cafeteria. When she enters the room, she sees most people have already found a seat. 

She feels a rumble in her stomach and decides to brave the food. It’s not as disgusting looking as the food at her old school. That was the one downfall of free food, you never knew if it was actually edible. But at least she knew she would always be able to eat when she went to school. 

She carries her tray toward the room full of lunch tables. Most people are already deep in conversation with each other and don’t notice her as she makes her way through the cafeteria alone. She sees Chrissy sitting at a table with Waverly. There’s a couple of other cheerleaders and football players sitting with them.

At the other end of the room, there is a table that’s mostly empty except for one boy sitting by himself with his nose in a book. She sighs and heads toward the table. “Mind if I join you?” Nicole asks. The boy looks up from his book with an inviting smile. 

“Not at all!” He says. He’s almost too enthusiastic, but it seems to be either there or on the floor at this point. Nicole takes a seat at the table, setting the tray down in front of her. “New here?” He asks. 

“What gave it away?” Nicole chuckles a little. She starts to pick at the food in front of her. 

“Most people don’t wander around and ask to sit with me,” he answers the question quite literally. “I’m Jeremy, by the way.” 

“Nicole,” she says. “Thanks for giving me some place to sit.” 

She offers him a soft smile. “It’s no problem!” Jeremy says. “I’m sure you’ll find someplace more interesting later,” he shrugs. 

“I’m not sure about that,” she says as she looks around the room. “Everyone seems pretty stuck in their ways here.”

“They are,” he quickly agrees. “It’s all about image and status here.”

“I feel like you get that wherever you go. Except the people I knew from the city would die if they saw how people lived around here,” she admits. 

“How so?” He asks. 

“For starters, my last 4 houses could fit into where I live now,” she laughs. “And the food here isn’t nearly as questionable.” Take gestures toward the tray in front of her. 

“What brings you out this way, anyway?” Jeremy asks. She can tell he’s asking more out of curiosity, rather than giving her a tone to make her feel like more of an outsider. It’s a question she’s already tired of being asked but she’s sure it won’t be the last time. 

“Needed a change of scenery,” she shrugs. The boy looks at her a little harder as if he’s trying to read her. She’s sure he can tell she’s not giving him the full truth. “Change of a foster home,” Nicole admits. She realizes quickly if she’s going to let people in, she can’t lie to them too much. 

“Oh,” Jeremy says. Well, welcome!” She smiles at the response. He’s genuine when he speaks. He doesn’t seem to be judging her for where she comes from or envious of her for where she comes from. He just accepts it. 

The rest of lunch is spent in conversation with Jeremy. She finds it easy to talk to him. She learns that he gets really excited about all things science. He doesn’t play sports, but he’s not against watching them. He tutors some of the football players to help them keep their grades up enough to stay active on the team. He talks a lot, but she likes that. Anything to keep him from asking more questions about her. 

****   
  
After the final bell of the school day, Nicole exits the building by herself. She didn’t discuss arranging a ride home with Chrissy and she doesn’t have much interest in trying to find her for one now. Besides, she was supposed to report to the park for community service. What an exciting way to spend the first day of her senior year. She groans internally at the thought. As soon as she makes her way around the outside of the school, she hears a voice call out to her. “Where you off too so quickly?” 

Nicole turns around to see Rosita, tucked behind the corner of the school, cigarette in hand. “Are you always lurking around?” she asks as she dips behind the building to join her.

“Listen, I’ve waited all day for this cigarette,” the girl huffs. She takes a long drag, slowly puffing out the smoke. Nicole laughs and takes the cigarette out of her hand, taking a drag. 

She coughs a little, but takes another drag before handing it back to Rosita. “Must be rough,” she says, sarcastically. 

“You’ve now experienced this place,” Rosita tells her. “You should know.”

Nicole laughs. “Gotta go,” she says, gesturing over her shoulder. 

“You gonna tell me where you’re headed?” Rosita asks, taking another drag of the cigarette.

“Community service,” Nicole says in a mocking tone, pretending to be more excited about it than she is. 

“Man, Haught,” Rosita says. She drops the cigarette to the ground, stepping on it with her foot to put it out. “You sure know how to have fun around here,” she teases. 

“Yeah,” Nicole says. “I try,” she laughs, sarcastically. “I’ll see you.” Nicole turns to continue her walk away from the school. 

“Are you walking?” Rosita calls out after her. Nicole turns around and nods. “Come on, ya delinquent,” she teases, gesturing over her shoulder. “Let me drive you.” Nicole isn’t sure how long the walk is from the school to the park so she gladly accepts.

When they arrive at the park, Rosita drops her off, telling her that she can’t stay long. She thanks her for the ride and hops out of the car, heading to the meeting spot from the parking lot. 

On her way through the park, she sees Wynonna sitting on a log scrolling through her phone. “No brown paper bag today?” Nicole teases as she makes her way up to the brunette. Wynonna laughs and shakes her head. 

“Not today,” she says. “What are you doing here?” she asks as she turns her body to face the redhead. 

“Park clean up,” Nicole tells her. Wynonna squints her eyes at Nicole slightly. 

“Tell me you were forced to do this and it’s not voluntary, Haught stuff,” she teases. Nicole shoves her hands in her jean pockets and shrugs her shoulders.

“Probation at its finest,” she informs her. “Wait, people volunteer to do this?” she asks, confused as to why people would volunteer to pick up trash without being forced. 

“Oh yeah, apparently there’s a group from school that wants to add community service to their high school transcript,” Wynonna laughs. Clearly this is something that Wynonna would never sign up for on purpose either. 

“Man, sounds like the chick I was assigned to do a history project with today. It’s the first damn day of school and she’s already wanting me to plan out the entire thing,” Nicole groans. She takes a seat next to Wynonna on the log. She figures she has some time to kill before she needs to report.

“Damn, what a nerd,” Wynonna snorts in laughter. 

“Yeah, I mean, she’s hot, but she seems kind of crazy,” Nicole says. She’s still not used to talking openly about girls with anyone here, but Wynonna didn’t seem to bothered by it the first night they met. 

“Sounds like half the girls in your grade,” Wynonna tells her. “So she’s like bangable but not the type of girl you want to bring home to mom? I mean, uh, Nedley?” she starts to stutter a little. 

Nicole laughs rather than becoming offended by the comment. She knows Wynonna didn’t mean anything by it. It’s probably not normal for teenagers to not have any parents at all. Most of the teenagers she knows spend most of their time complaining about how much their parents suck, but she doesn’t even get that chance. 

“What’s up with your parents anyway?” Wynonna asks. Nicole gives her a confused look. She’s never really had anyone ask that before. She just tells them she’s a foster kid and they assume they have her whole life figured out. Even she doesn’t have it figured out.

“What do you mean?” Nicole asks. 

“You’re a foster kid,” Wynonna says, nonchalantly. “So your parents are most likely not around. So did they die or do they just suck?” Nicole appreciates the boldness of the brunette. She’s not malicious, just curious. “I mean, no offense.”

“No offense taken,” Nicole says, putting her hands out in front of her. “I guess they’re both,” she tells her. “Well, dad was okay. He tried. Mom left years ago. I haven’t seen her since I was really young.”

“Tell me honestly, what’s it like living with Nedley?” Wynonna seems suddenly fascinated in what it’s like behind the walls of the Nedley house. Maybe it’s the fact that he’s chief of police that makes it more interesting. By now she’s lived with so many different people with so many different jobs, it’s just like another day. 

“It’s fine,” Nicole says. “He’s really nice,” she tells her. “He’s also pretty busy so he’s not around often.”

“Man, to each their own, I guess,” Wynonna huffs. Nicole isn’t quite sure what Wynonna’s problem is with Randy Nedley, but she seems like the kind of person that normally has a reason not to like someone. 

“What’s your issue with him?” Nicole asks.

“Let’s just say, we’ve never seen eye to eye,” Wynonna tells her. “You’re not the only one who gets in trouble with the law, Haught. It’s just a little different when your dad is the mayor. You can pretty much do anything and come out squeaky clean,” she continues. “It’s actually really annoying.”

“Oh yeah, seems annoying,” Nicole teases. “What are you doing here anyway? She finally asks. She’s not really sure what Wynonna does with her life now that she’s not in high school. 

“My sister is one of those over achievers I was speaking of,” Wynonna groans. “I offered her a ride so I could have an excuse to get out of the house,” she laughs with a shrug. 

“Maybe you could learn a thing or two from her,” Nicole teases. Wynonna scoffs at the redhead. 

“And risk you not wanting to hang out with me anymore?” Wynonna teases. 

“Man, is your sister that bad?” Nicole asks, more seriously now. 

“No,” Wynonna says. “She’s actually the best.” Nicole watches as Wynonna stops and thinks about what she just said. “It’s also annoying,” she laughs. 

Nicole laughs and stands up from the log. “I should probably get going before my probation officer gets on my ass about being late to community service,” she groans. “Stay out of trouble.” Nicole winks at the brunette who flips her off before she turns to walk away. 

On her way toward the playground, she sees a small group of Purgatory High students standing around the area. They’re all wearing gloves and some are holding trash bags. The closer she gets to the group, the clearer their faces become. The first person she recognizes is Waverly. She’s not really that surprised to see her there. After their interaction after history, she can see Waverly as being the type to volunteer to clean a park. She probably has dreams to save the world, one park at a time.

“Volunteering?” Waverly asks the Nicole as she makes her way up to the group. The brunette seems surprised to see her there. She’s unsure what to say. She doesn’t want to lie to her, she’s pretty sure she already hates her. But she’s also not sure if she’s ready to spill all her secrets because, well, she’s pretty sure she already hates her. 

“Uh, not exactly,” Nicole says. There's a part of her that wants to impress Waverly. She’s still extremely captivated by her beauty and she can’t get past it. She thinks about what Wynonna said about her not being a girl that she could take home to her parents. She thinks about how far from the truth that really is. “I’ve been court ordered,” she admits hesitantly. 

The brunette pauses for a moment. It’s like she’s never heard of anyone getting in trouble before. She’s sure people get in trouble around here. Unless everyone is like Wynonna says. They’re never in the wrong because their families are so rich they can just cover it all up. 

“Oh,” was all Waverly says. 

Nicole opens her mouth to speak again and she’s quickly cut off by the organizer of the clean up giving directions. She spends most of the clean up on her own. She is not purposely avoiding the brunette, but she’s not purposely getting close to her either. 

She spends time thinking about what brought her to this point in her life. The choices she’s made, the people she’s surrounded herself with. Maybe spending time with someone like Waverly, someone good, would be a nice change for her. Not that she’s never had anyone good before. 

She finds herself a little deeper into the woods than she anticipated. She figures it’s because she’s so lost in her thoughts. She leans up against a tree to take a small break, hoping to clear her thoughts a little more. She leans her head back on the tree and closes her eyes. 

The familiar blonde girl appears in her line of sight. She’s picking up pinecones from the ground and throwing them deeper into the woods. “You know, Haught,” the girl speaks. “Wallowing in self pity isn’t going to get you anywhere.” 

Nicole sighs and pushes herself off of the tree, pressing her foot against the strong foundation of the tree. “Who says I’m wallowing?” She asks. She flashes a dimpled smile at the girl. The one she knows has always made her melt. 

“Oh, no fair,” the girl says. “Put those things away.” She throws another pinecone before making her way over to Nicole. 

“All’s fair in love and war,” Nicole grins. 

“Oh?” The girl questions. “Are we at war now?” She smiles and slides her hands down Nicole’s arms, intertwining their fingers together. Nicole can almost feel the warmth of her hands again. 

“Life’s a war,” Nicole shrugs. She pulls the girl closer to her, desperate to feel warmth again. 

“Always a cynic,” she smiles back at Nicole as she brushes a loose hair from her face. Her eyes gleam in the sunlight. 

“Not always,” Nicole reminds her. The girl just stares back at her without words. “Your hands are so cold.” 

“You were always the warm one, remember?” Nicole nods and closes her eyes. She remembers all the times she went with short sleeves because the girl never knew how to dress warm enough. She feels a slight weight on her chest, over her heart as if someone has placed a hand there. 

“You’ll be okay,” she hears the familiar voice repeat as it fades into the darkness. She opens her eyes and feels the weight of the garbage bag in her gloved hands. 

She decides to rejoin the group, unsure of how much time as passed since she’s seen them last. When she reaches the rendezvous spot, she sees others from the group returning as well. As they finish up, the instructors explain when and where they will be meeting again later in the week. They thank the group and send them on their separate ways. Nicole sees Waverly lingering around the area for a moment and calls out to her. 

“Hey, Waverly,” she says. “I wanted to apologize for earlier. I wasn’t trying to blow you off or anything. I’m going to take the project seriously,” she tries to explain herself a little further. 

“I’m sorry if I came on too strong,” Waverly apologizes. She feels sympathy coming from the brunette. The last thing she wants is for her to feel sorry for her. 

“It’s not that, it’s just the first day of school and I’m trying to get used to everything here,” Nicole says. “But, please, don’t be sorry. You did nothing wrong.” She shoves her hands in her pockets. 

“Maybe we should start over,” Waverly suggests. She lightly brushes Nicole’s arm with the tips of her fingers. Nicole’s breath hitches at the touch.

Nicole nods at the brunette. She pulls her hands out of her pocket and offers Waverly her right hand to shake. “Hey, partner,” she smiles. “I’m Nicole, can’t wait to get started on this project.” 

Waverly laughs and shakes Nicole’s hand. “Well, partner, I’m Waverly,” she grins. “And I know you’re lying, but thanks for trying.” 

“I’m not lying!” Nicole protests the accusation. She throws her hands in the air in front of her.  ****   
  


“Waves, come on!” A voice comes from behind the pair, breaking Nicole’s attention. “I don’t have all day!” Nicole turns around to see Wynonna standing behind them, whining dramatically. 

“Really?” Waverly huffs. “What other plans do you have tonight?” She asks. 

“Maybe I have plans,” Wynonna tries to fish for something. 

“Maybe you should get a job!” Waverly argues.

“And risk getting cut off from family money?” Wynonna asks quickly. “Hell no!” 

“You volunteered to come with me!” Waverly reminds her. Nicole watches the interaction between the two girls, wondering where this is going and how they know each other. 

“At least I didn’t volunteer to pick up trash for free, nerd,” Wynonna groans. 

“Excuse me for caring about the environment,” Waverly argues, becoming clearly frustrated. “I apologize for my sister,” she says to Nicole. 

Nicole’s eyes widen. Sister? Wynonna and Waverly? How has she not put it together before. She was at the game to watch her sister cheerlead. She was at the park while her sister volunteered. Her brain continues to short circuit until Wynonna waves a hand in front of her face. 

“Haught pants already loves me,” Wynonna tells her. Waverly looks confused at first. Nicole still can’t make words. “What the hell, Haught?” 

“Sorry, I, it’s really warm all of a sudden,” Nicole says. She tugs at her clothing, trying to help her breathe a little better. 

“Wait, do you guys know each other?” Waverly questions then. 

“Do you guys know each other?” Wynonna retorts, gesturing between the two girls. 

“We’re history project partners,” Waverly tells her. Nicole cringes, remembering her conversation with Wynonna about her history project partner earlier in the day. Wynonna's eyes widen, knowingly. Nicole panics internally. 

Shit. 

“I should probably get going,” Nicole says, gesturing anywhere but where she currently is. 

“Do you need a ride?” Waverly asks. “We could drop you off.” The last place Nicole wants to be right now is in a car with Waverly and Wynonna at the same time. 

“Uh, no. No. I’m good.” She is avoiding eye contact with Wynonna. She only assumes she getting a dirty look from the girl. 

“Why are you two being weird?” Waverly asks. 

“We are?” Nicole asks. Why is it suddenly so hot out? 

“Here, babygirl, take the keys, I’ll be right there,” Wynonna says, handing her sister the keys. Waverly gives her a confused look, but takes the keys anyway.

“Okay…” Waverly trails off. Wynonna holds out her arm so Nicole stays with her as they watch Waverly walk out of sight. She wants to call out and tell her to stay, but she doesn’t. 

“Wynonna, listen,” Nicole tries to explain herself a little before the older girl can become more upset than she already is. 

“Hot but crazy is my sister?” Wynonna asks, she’s not quiet about it. She pushes Nicole’s shoulder. 

“I mean…” Nicole trails off. 

“Okay, you’re not wrong,” Wynonna tells her. “But that’s only okay for me to say!” The older girl warns her. 

“Okay, okay! I’m sorry!” Nicole tells her. She takes a step back, avoiding getting shoved anymore than she already has.

“I’m only going to give you this warning once, Haught,” Wynonna points a warning finger at her. 

“No need to threaten me, Wynonna. Nothing is ever going to happen between me and your sister,” Nicole assures her. 

“You’re damn right!” Wynonna yells at her and pokes her in the shoulder. “Now do you really need a ride?” She asks. 

“I don’t think Chrissy wants anyone to know I live with her,” Nicole says. Wynonna immediately scoffs at the comment. 

“Screw Chrissy Nedley,” she says. She gestures over her shoulder for Nicole to follow her. “But not really,” she teases, grinning over her shoulder. Nicole shutters at the thought. 

****   
  


“So you guys never told me how you know each other,” Waverly says. She’s sitting in the backseat behind Nicole and Wynonna is driving. Nicole tried to sit in the back, but Waverly is apparently very persistent and she was too tired to keep arguing. 

“I found Haught stuff all alone at the back to school game and showed her a good time,” Wynonna tells her. 

“First of all,” Nicole starts. “That’s a really weird way to word that,” she laughs. “And second of all, way to make me sound like a loser.” 

“I’m just calling in like I saw it,” Wynonna teases. There’s an audible gasp from Waverly in the backseat. She slaps Wynonna’s arm causing Nicole to burst out into laughter. 

“Wynonna!” Waverly huffs. 

“Damn, babygirl,” Wynonna groans as she rubs the spot on her arm that she hit. 

“I apologize, once again, for my sister,” Waverly says, placing her hand gently on Nicole’s shoulder. 

“It’s cool,” Nicole shrugs off the comment. Waverly’s hand lingers for a moment and neither of them pull away. Nicole feels her skin burning through the material that separates her and Waverly’s touch.

“Haughty Haught loves me,” Wynonna says in a song-like tone. Waverly laughs and takes her hand down from Nicole’s shoulder.

“Something like that,” Nicole laughs, shaking her head at the brunette. There is something about both of the sisters that she finds endearing. She is usually not quick to let people in or feel an immediate connection with, but they might be an exception. 

Wynonna takes the turn into the Nedley’s driveway. “What are we doing at the Nedley house?” Waverly asks. 

“Home sweet home,” Nicole shrugs. She figures she will find out sooner or later. “This is my new foster placement,” she admits. 

“Chrissy told me you were her cousin,” Waverly tells her. Nicole nods and turns her body toward the brunette to make eye contact with her. 

“I guess everyone has their little secrets,” Nicole says. “Now you know where to find me at least,” she laughs a little. She can’t tell if Waverly is frustrated with her or Chrissy but she doesn’t look happy. 

The car comes to a stop in front of the house and Nicole turns to hop out. She holds the passenger side open for Waverly to climb into the front of the car. Waverly thanks her, politely. “Of course,” Nicole says. She can’t help but feel that she said something wrong. She always says something wrong. 

“Hey,” Waverly says just before Nicole pushes the car door shut behind her. The redhead turns back in her direction. “Text me later so I have your number. So we can, uh, talk about the project.” 

“Right,” Nicole says. “Almost forgot,” she says. “Have a good night, guys.” She shuts the car door and heads for the front door.  ****   
  
  


When she makes it inside, she heads directly for her room, closing the door behind her. It’s not long before she picks up her phone and clicks on Rosita’s name. It rings a few times before she hears the other girl’s voice on the other end. “Hello?” 

“So, when were you going to tell me Waverly is Wynonna’s sister?” Nicole huffs. She kicks off her shoes and plops back on her bed, laying down on her back. 

Rosita breaks out into laughter. “Oh man, did you tell her you’ve been undressing her with your eyes?” 

“First of all, I haven’t been undressing her with my eyes,” Nicole huffs. She hears Rosita continuing to laugh over the phone. “I just told her my history partner was hot, but crazy.” She starts to laugh as well. 

“Oh, man, Haught,” Rosita snorts. “Just a warning, Wynonna is super protective of her sister.” 

“Yeah, that’s probably something you should have told me from the start, asshole,” Nicole huffs. 

“This is way more fun for me though!” Rosita tells her. There’s a knock at Nicole’s door, breaking her from her conversation. 

“Hey, I gotta go,” Nicole says. “Talk to you later.” She hangs up the phone and turns toward the door. “It’s open,” she calls out. 

“It’s just me,” Randy says as he enters her room. “How was your first day of school?” He asks. 

“It was alright,” Nicole tells him. She’s not really used to having people ask too much about her day. 

“And community service?” He asks. 

“Fine,” she shrugs. “You don’t have to check in with me everyday or anything,” she tells him. She doesn’t want him to feel obligated. 

“It’s in my nature,” the man says with a smile. “Ask Chrissy, I check in with her too.” 

“I think she’d prefer it if I didn’t talk to her,” Nicole says with a laugh. Randy gives her a sympathetic look. 

“She’ll come around,” he assures her. 

“It’s okay if she doesn’t,” Nicole says. “We all know this isn’t permanent,” she reminds him. 

“Nicole,” he says softly. “You can stay here as long as you need,” he tells her. “We’re not here to kicked you out anytime soon.” 

“Don’t give Chrissy that option,” Nicole laughs. 

“I’ll talk to her,” he says. “But look, I know you feel like you’re a burden here, but I can assure you that you aren’t. When my wife was alive, we always talked about having more children after Chrissy. It was just never in the cards for us,” he says. Nicole listens quietly to the story, feeling bad for the man. “But the world works in mysterious ways,” he continues. “I like to think of this as finally getting my chance.” 

A smile grows on her face. She finds the man endearing and honest. Something she hasn’t seen much of in the past. 

The sound of another person running down the hallway brings Nicole and Randy’s attention toward the door. Chrissy appears a moment later. “Did you tell Waverly you live here?!” She asks, loudly. 

“Christine,” Randy warns. 

“Dad!” Chrissy whines. “I don’t need everyone knowing my business at school!” 

“You’re really going to need to get over this,” Randy tells her. He shakes his head at his daughter causing Nicole to laugh. “If anyone thinks differently of you because of this then maybe you should rethink who you spend your time with.” 

“Maybe if you thought for one second what it’s like to be in high school in this place,” Chrissy tries to argue. Nicole has to admit, she is pretty entertained by the interaction. 

“No thank you,” Randy teases. “Now please, take your attitude elsewhere. Nicole hasn’t done anything wrong.” 

All Chrissy can do is scoff loudly at the pair before she turns to leave. Randy gives Nicole an apologetic look. Nicole tells him it’s okay. She’s getting pretty used to it by now. And maybe Randy is right. Maybe Chrissy will come around. 

Maybe someday. 


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Happy Friday! Here’s another chapter, a day early 😉

By the end of the week, Nicole feels like she’s becoming more acclimated to the school. Chrissy gives her rides in the morning, but they barely talk. The blonde still ditches her in the parking lot and makes it inside before she does every day. 

Nicole spends more time with Rosita in between classes and after the final bell rings. She eats lunch daily with Jeremy. Waverly says ‘hi’ to her more often in the halls and they usually sit next to each other in their classes that they have together, chatting during free time. She attends one more community service session before the weekend, this time Waverly gives her a ride home and they decide to start work on their history project. 

“Do you always volunteer to pick up trash?” Nicole asks. They’re about half way to Nicole’s house on their way home. Nicole is leaning back in the seat, looking over at Waverly as she concentrates on the road. 

“It looks good on college applications,” Waverly informs her. Waverly seems like she’s pretty smart, Nicole is sure she doesn’t need the extra points on her applications, but she doesn’t question it. “It’s good to be well rounded.” 

“Yeah,” Nicole says. College isn’t a place she ever saw herself. Not because she didn’t think she’d make it, more like because she tries not to picture herself anywhere specific, for too long, in fear that she might get her hopes up. Nicole learned at a young age that if she doesn’t hope for much, she won’t become disappointed. 

“Have you looked into colleges?” Waverly asks. 

“I haven’t put much thought into anything after high school,” Nicole admits. “I like to live day by day.” 

Truth is, there was only one person who ever made Nicole think there might be hope for the future. And even then, she wasn’t sure if would ever happen. Now, it’s the last thing she wants to think of. She’d rather appreciate everything she has in front of her while she can. 

Her thoughts don’t drift too far away while she’s alone with Waverly. There’s something about the girl that keeps her wanting to stay in the present and far from the past. “Day by day is good too,” Waverly says with a smile. 

“When it's all you have, you appreciate it more,” Nicole tells her. Waverly looks over at her with a soft look. Rosita was right, Waverly is a nice person. It makes Nicole question more and more why she is willingly spending time with her. “Sorry to bring the mood down,” she laughs. 

“No need to apologize,” Waverly says with a smile. “You can talk to me if you need to,” she assures her. 

Nicole nods back at the brunette. 

Suddenly Waverly gasps, scaring Nicole. She turns her focus to the road in front of them to see nothing is wrong. She sees Waverly move her hand to twist the knob on the car radio, turning up the volume. She begins to sing along. Nicole can’t help but smile at her. 

When they arrive at the Nedley house, Waverly parks the car and continues singing. Nicole watches her for a moment before the brunette starts to laugh, appearing a little embarrassed. “I love this song,” Waverly says sheepishly. 

“I see that,” Nicole teases. 

“Don’t make fun of me!” Waverly says, playfully hitting her in the arm. 

“Ow!” Nicole groans. “I’m not!” She laughs. She opens the door to the car, quickly. 

“Man, where’s the fire?” Waverly laughs. 

“Gotta get out of here before you hit me again,” Nicole teases. Waverly scoffs at the redhead and hops out of the driver’s side of the car, following Nicole toward the door. 

Nicole unlocks the door and holds it open for the brunette to walk through first. “My book is upstairs, I can grab it if you want to work down here,” Nicole says, unsure if she should suggest working in her room or not. 

“I don’t mind working up there,” Waverly says. Nicole nods and leads her up the stairs. As they are about to pass Chrissy’s room, Nicole sees the blonde bolt for the door. 

“Waves! You’re here!” Chrissy calls out. “I was just about to call you.” She waves her phone in the air. 

“Oh, we were just about to work on our history project,” Waverly tells her, gesturing toward Nicole. Nicole looks back at her, still nervous to do anything more to upset Chrissy. 

“Can I steal you for a minute?” Chrissy asks. She seems panicked. “Crisis.” 

“What?” Waverly asks, confused. Nicole stands quietly, observing the dramatic scene unfolding in front of her.

“I need you!” Chrissy whines. She reaches her hands out and pulls on Waverly’s arm. Waverly looks back at Nicole, sympathetically. 

“Yeah, that’s fine, I’ll be in my room,” she points over her shoulder at her bedroom door. Waverly mouths ‘thank you’ at the redhead as she’s dramatically dragged into her best friend’s bedroom. 

Nicole laughs to herself and makes her way down the hall into her own room. She drops her backpack on her bed and pulls out her history book, setting it on her bed before sitting down at her desk. She pulls out a sketchbook and plays some music that she downloaded on her phone. 

She’s really uninterested in what Chrissy and Waverly could be talking about in the other room. Not that she doesn’t care about the blonde feeling like she’s in a crisis, she’s just sure it involves some boy that Nicole doesn’t want to hear about. 

She’s deep into her sketching, humming along with the song that’s playing when her door opens further and Waverly walks in. She doesn’t see her until she hears her voice. “You draw?” 

Nicole jumps at the sound of another voice in the room. She quickly closes her sketchbook. “Uh, yeah,” she says, looking up at Waverly. 

“I didn’t mean to scare you,” Waverly says, apologetically. “Can I see what you’re drawing? You know we have an art club at school if you’re interested.” 

Nicole sees Waverly’s eyes travel to the closed sketchbook on her desk. She suddenly feels exposed. She places her hand over the top of the cover. “I don’t typically show people,” she tries to brush it off. 

“Sorry, I just got excited there for a minute,” Waverly quickly apologizes. 

“It’s okay,” Nicole says. “Art is usually what I do for me. I draw people and things around me. It’s like my form of a journal,” she tells her. 

“That’s really cool, Nicole,” Waverly says. “You don’t have to show me.” 

“Maybe someday,” Nicole says. She wonders how the brunette would feel if she knew she had started a drawing of her in the book. She’s not sure she’s ready to share that with her yet. 

Waverly’s attention shifts to the other side of the room and Nicole follows her with her eyes. “You play the guitar too?” She asks with excitement. 

“Oh, hardly,” Nicole laughs. “It was my dad’s.” She watches as the brunette makes her way to the guitar, studying it without touching it. 

“May I?” She asks as she turns to make eye contact with the redhead. Nicole nods and watches as the brunette carefully lifts the guitar and sits on the corner of the bed. 

“We lost the amp years ago,” Nicole tells her. Waverly looks down at the guitar from above it and tucks a loose strand of hair behind her ear. She starts to strum a melody, nothing Nicole has ever heard before, but it mesmerizes her. 

She watches the brunette’s fingers as they move with ease up the neck of the guitar. Waverly continues to look down at her hands as they play for a moment before looking up to see Nicole watching her. She smiles and puts the guitar back on its stand. 

“Thanks,” Waverly says with a smile. “It’s a beautiful guitar.” 

“You’re really good,” Nicole tells her. “I’m going to have to hit you up for lessons,” she jokes. 

“I might be down for that,” Waverly tells her. “But first, history,” she says, lifting the book up from the bed and waving it in the air. 

“Deal,” Nicole says.    
  
  
  


She’s surprisingly more excited about this history project than she thought she would be. Deep down she’s not sure if it’s because of the project itself or because her partner is Waverly Earp. 

They brainstorm ideas back and forth for an hour. She’s surprised at how easy it is for them to bounce ideas off of each other. Anytime she ever had to do a project with anyone else in the city, it always turned into one person doing most of the work and it wasn’t usually her. It wasn’t that she didn’t care about school in the city, she just always found something more interesting to do. 

The bedroom door swings open and Chrissy is standing in the doorway. The pair looks up and laugh at the expression on Chrissy’s face. She looks like she’s forcing a sad face and in serious need of attention. 

“What’s up?” Waverly asks. 

“I’m bored,” Chrissy says as she makes her way into the bedroom. She throws her hands up in the air and dramatically drops backwards onto Nicole’s bed next to Waverly. “You guys are all studious and shit and we’re not even done with the first week of school!” 

“Have you met me?” Waverly asks. She lays backwards on the bed next to Chrissy. Nicole is sitting on her desk chair, nearby, and looks over to observe the way Waverly’s shirt lifts at the bottom revealing smooth skin and tight abs. 

“Yeah, it’s lame,” Chrissy groans. 

“Thanks,” Waverly laughs, playfully pushing the blonde as she sits back up on the bed. 

“Waves, you know I love you, but you’re still a nerd,” Chrissy huffs. “I want to go swimming,” she whines as she stands up from the bed. 

“Then go,” Waverly shrugs. Nicole continues to observe the interactions between the two girls. 

“But I want my best friend to come with me!” Chrissy tells Waverly. Nicole wonders if she’ll get an invite or if Chrissy will continue acting as if she doesn’t exist at all. 

“Okay,” Waverly sighs. “Fine. We’re probably almost done for the day anyway,” she looks at Nicole for approval. Nicole nods at her, she can’t keep her up there forever. 

“Okay, meet me out there?” Chrissy asks Waverly before heading for the door. “You want to join?” She asks Nicole. 

The redhead is shocked by the invite. “Me?” She asks. 

“Who else?” Chrissy teases. 

“Oh yeah, sure,” Nicole agrees. She’s not sure what the sudden change in character is about with Chrissy but she will take what she can get. After all, she has to live with her. 

Chrissy gives them a ten minute limit and tells them she will see them out by the pool. They both laugh and tell her they’ll be out. When Chrissy leaves, they start picking up the books they have scattered around for their project and stack them on Nicole’s desk for now. 

“What’s with Chrissy suddenly being nice to me?” Nicole asks as she brings the books over to her desk. 

“I yelled at her,” Waverly admits. Nicole is shocked by this confession. She knew Waverly and Chrissy have been friends for a long time and she didn’t think she would disagree with her like that. 

“You did what?” Nicole asks, shocked. 

“I love Chrissy, but she can be sort of,” Waverly starts, searching for the right word. “Selfish?” 

“Isn’t that like everyone around here?” Nicole teases. She turns to see the brunette give her a warning look. 

“Wow, I’ll pretend not to be offended by that,” Waverly says. 

“Not you!” Nicole says quickly. 

“Look,” Waverly says. “Chrissy is used to just getting it her way. She’s afraid of anything ruining her reputation.” 

“What about your reputation?” Nicole challenges. 

“I’m the mayor's daughter,” Waverly informs her. “My reputation is pretty protected.” Nicole laughs. She wants to tell her she doesn’t have anything to worry about with her reputation because she’s one of the few good ones around. 

“It’s funny,” Nicole says. “You and Wynonna are so different but come from the same place.” She always wondered what it would be like to have siblings. She wonders if she’d get along with them if they were anything like her. 

“I think we’re more similar than she wants to believe,” Waverly laughs. “You want different, spend some time with our oldest sister. But don’t really,” she warns. 

“Do I want to know why?” Nicole laughs. 

“She’s just,” Waverly starts, searching for a word to describe her sister. “I don’t know, there’s a lot more to my family than what meets the eye,” she says as she looks down, avoiding eye contact for a moment. Nicole senses sadness in the girl for the first time since they had been working together that day. She wants to reach out and comfort her. She doesn’t. 

“Hey, if you ever need to talk about messed up families, I’m your girl,” Nicole says. Waverly looks up at her and gives her a soft smile. “Trust me, I get it.” 

“Maybe someday we can compare notes,” Waverly jokes, causing Nicole to laugh. “We should probably get downstairs before hurricane Chrissy comes back,” she teases, gesturing over her shoulder. 

“Yeah,” Nicole laughs. “Let me find my suit,” she gestures toward her dresser. Waverly excuses herself to Chrissy’s room where she has apparently left clothes. Nicole wonders what it’s like to stay somewhere long enough to have friends that let you leave your things at their house too, or even own enough stuff for that. 

By the time she makes it to the back of the house, she hears Chrissy and Waverly already outside talking. They’re both sitting on the edge of the pool with their feet in the water. Nicole forgets to breathe for a moment at the sight of the brunette in a bikini. What’s left of the sun beams down on her tanned shoulders. The sky is just beginning to turn to shades of pinks and oranges, reflecting off the water onto her face. 

“And what did he say when you mentioned homecoming?” Waverly asks. Nicole feels like Waverly isn’t that interested in the conversation, as if they’ve had this talk multiple times by now. 

“He just says he’ll see me there,” Chrissy groans. “Like I can’t give him any more hints here, Waves!” The girls stop and look up when they see Nicole appear on the back deck. 

“Have you tried asking him out?” She chimes in. Chrissy’s face immediately changes like she’s been offended. 

“No,” Chrissy huffs. “That’s his job!” She argues. Nicole gives her a confused look. 

“People still think that way?” Nicole asks. She never understood why it mattered who asked who out. If she likes him, she should just go for it. 

Chrissy scoffs in disgust, causing Waverly to laugh. “I’ve dropped enough hints!” 

“Maybe you could ask him,” Waverly shrugs. “Ask him to homecoming,” she suggests. “Or to go to my party with you! Start small!” 

“Since when is an Earp party small?” Chrissy asks. 

Nicole decides to join them on the edge of the pool. She slides her shirt over her head, revealing her pale skin that shines brighter in the sunlight. She’s slightly embarrassed when she glances down at her body noticing the difference between her and the other girls. When she looks up she sees Waverly’s eyes on her. Embarrassment comes back over her again and she feels warmth flood her cheeks. She smiles softly at the brunette. 

Chrissy coughs to gain their attention. “You getting in?” She asks. 

Nicole nods and sits down on the other side of Waverly, dipping her feet into the pool. The water is cold, but refreshing. 

“So all I’m saying is, I don’t think asking him is such a bad idea,” Waverly continues the conversation. 

“Maybe he’s gay,” Nicole shrugs. Chrissy scoffs at the redhead again and dips her hand into the pool, cupping the water and splashing her with it. 

Waverly screams as the water hits her as well. “What the hell?!” She yells as she pushes Chrissy, causing her to fall into the water. 

Nicole laughs and shields her face from the splashing that commences. Chrissy reaches up and pulls on Waverly, attempting to drag her into the water as well. Waverly tries to reach out for Nicole to stop her from falling in, which only causes the two of them to both come toppling over into the water. 

Nicole emerges from the water and runs her fingers through her hair to brush excess water out. She gives the brunette a warning look before splashing water in her direction. “Hey!” Waverly protests. “It was an accident!” 

“Sure!” Nicole laughs as she winds up to splash her again. Waverly pleads for her not to and Nicole gives in, lowering her arms. 

She finds herself enjoying her time with Chrissy and Waverly. She’s not surprised about Waverly, they’ve been getting along well lately, but Chrissy is always hit or miss. She feels like she’s been walking on eggshells with the girl and she’s never sure when she’s on her good side.   
  
  


After swimming for a while, the sun has gone completely down. The backyard is now illuminated by lights that are strung across the deck area. Lanterns surround the pool offering more light as well, but the large moon that is now high above their heads offers the most light. 

“Cold?” Nicole asks the shivering brunette who is now posted in the corner of the pool. Waverly shakes her head but Nicole gives her a look, seeing through her lies. 

“Hot tub?” Waverly suggests. Chrissy agrees quickly and doesn’t waste any time before she’s climbing out of the pool. 

Nicole follows suit, leaving a trail of water dripping from her body as she makes her way to the nearby hot tub. Waverly and Chrissy have already claimed seats across from each other, leaving seats between them on either side open. She slowly steps in, her board shorts clinging to her legs. The temperature change is a bit of a shock at first but she gets used to it when she lowers her body into the water. 

Relaxing quickly, she puts her arms up on the side of the hot tub and leans back, looking up at the stars. “It’s beautiful out,” she sighs. 

“Not a lot of stars in the city?” Chrissy asks. Nicole smiles and brings her head back down to make eye contact with the blonde. 

“Not really,” She laughs. 

“Do you miss it?” Waverly asks. 

Nicole turns her attention to the brunette. She feels like the question is more loaded than Waverly intends it to be. There are things she misses about the city, but most of them are things that she might never have again. She misses parts of her old life, but she doesn’t miss never knowing how long she’ll be in one place or where she’ll be going next. At least in Purgatory, she doesn’t feel like she will bounce from house to house. She’s pretty sure no one else would take her in. 

“Sometimes,” was the answer she settles on. “I guess I don’t mind it here.” 

“Well we're glad to have you,” Waverly smiles. “Right, Chrissy?” Chrissy shoots Waverly a look for putting her on the spot. 

“You’re not so bad,” Chrissy reluctantly agrees. Nicole laughs and thanks her. She doesn’t feel like she’s in the clear with her, but they’re in a better track thanks to Waverly. 

When they’re done in the hot tub, all three girls make their way upstairs to change. Nicole sees Waverly shiver again as the cool air hits her skin. Something in her wants to wrap her in her arms to warm her up. She watches as the brunette wraps a towel tighter around her body and disappears into the house. 

Nicole slowly climbs the stairs to her room and closes the door behind her. She finds a pair of sweatpants and a baggy tee shirt to change into, discarding her wet clothes from her body. She dries herself more with the towel before slipping the fresh clothes on. 

There’s a knock at the door and she finishes pulling the shirt over her head before she calls out. “It’s open!” 

The door cracks open and Waverly’s face emerges. She’s wearing a pair of blue short shorts that can barely be seen underneath the oversized hoodie she has on. “Hey, sorry to bother you,” she says softly. 

“You’re not a bother,” Nicole assures her. “What’s up?” 

“I wanted to invite you to my party next weekend,” Waverly says. “It’s my birthday and my family usually makes a bigger deal out of it than I ever want them to, but we’re having this party and a bunch of people from school will be there if you want to join.” 

Nicole isn’t sure how she feels about the idea of hanging out with a bunch of people from school yet. She likes spending time with Waverly, but she still hasn’t gotten to know many of the others. But then again, maybe this will be her chance to fit in a little more.

“Sure,” she agrees. It’s hard not to say yes to the smile she’s receiving from the brunette. “Sounds like fun,” she lies a little.

“Great!” Waverly seems genuinely excited, which makes Nicole happy. “Alright, well, I’ll see you later,” she says. 

“Yeah, let me know when you want to work on that project again,” Nicole tells her. 

“Oh I will,” Waverly assures her with a laugh. “Goodnight, Nicole.” Nicole says goodnight and watches as Waverly leaves the room, closing the door behind her.

Once she knows she’s alone, Nicole sits down at her desk and takes out her sketchbook, opening to the drawing she had started earlier. She pulls out a pencil and continues to draw until exhaustion takes over, causing her to retire to her bed for the night.    
  
  


——————-

  
  


Waking up in Purgatory is much more relaxing than the city. There’s no sound of constant traffic or car horns beeping. There’s no sound of people yelling out the windows at each other or police sirens filling the air. 

Nicole rolls over to look at the clock on her nightstand and realizes she slept until 10am. She’s not usually a late sleeper, even on the weekends, but that might equate to the constant noise in the city and the fact that she is a pretty light sleeper.

She finally peels herself from her bed and changed into a pair of gym shorts and an old tee shirt from her school in the city. She goes for a run through the neighborhood, something she’s been doing most mornings since she got there. It helps her become more acquainted with the area so she doesn’t require others to get her from one place to another. Exploring new areas has always been something she enjoyed doing after each move. 

When she returns to the house, she sees Waverly and Chrissy, eating breakfast at the dining room table. She waves politely at them before she turns to make her way upstairs for a much needed shower. 

“We’re going to the mall to shop for homecoming today,” Chrissy calls out. Nicole stops in her tracks at the sound of the girl’s voice. “Do you want to come?”

Nicole cringes at the thought of spending time at the mall for any extended period of time. “No thanks,” she says quickly. 

“Do you have something to wear to the dance on Friday?” Chrissy asks. 

“I don’t dance,” Nicole informs her. “I’ll probably sit this one out,” she laughs. 

“You can’t skip homecoming!” Waverly protests. Nicole pretends to think for a moment. 

“I think everyone will survive without me,” she teases. Waverly scoffs loudly at the statement, causing Nicole to laugh. “You’re not going to let me get out of this that easily, are you?” She asks. The brunette grins and shakes her head. Nicole sighs. 

“You act like we’re torturing you,” Chrissy huffs. 

“This is torture,” Nicole laugh. “I have no money to go shopping,” she tells them. 

“That’s what dad’s credit card is for,” Chrissy says with a grin. Nicole quickly protests. She’s not interested in taking other people’s money. 

“Um, no,” she says. “You two have fun, I’m gonna go shower,” she turns toward the stairs again. 

“Nicole whateveryourmiddlenameis Haught!” Chrissy’s voice booms through the downstairs of the house. Nicole turns and laughs. 

“Oh, damn, you fake middle named me,” she says sarcastically, pretending to be offended. 

“You’re impossible! Just do this one thing!” Waverly whines. Nicole isn’t sure why they’re being so persistent, but she doesn’t think they’re going to stop anytime soon either. 

“Fine,” Nicole sighs. “I’m not going to win this. So I’ll go. But someone owes me a soft pretzel at the mall,” she says, pointing a finger toward the two girls. 

“Deal,” they say, simultaneously. They seem pretty pleased with themselves. 

Nicole laughs and shakes her head. “But I really need that shower first,” she tells them as she turns to make her way upstairs, for real this time. 

She stops in her room for clean clothes and ducks into the bathroom, closing the door behind her. She’s never been much of a shopper in the past so she’s not sure what to expect going to the mall with Chrissy and Waverly. They seem like the complete opposite of her when it comes to picking out clothes. What is she even going to wear to homecoming? 

She strips her clothes off and steps under the hot water that she turned on moments before, waiting for it to reach optimal temperature. She thinks about how it might be fun to spend time outside of the house and school with Waverly and Chrissy. She does enjoy their company even if they aren’t the usual people she surrounds herself with. 

_ Maybe a change of scenery will be good for you.  _

She hears the voice of her probation officer echoing through her head. She doesn’t like to think he’s right, and she will never tell him, but maybe he is right. 

  
  


When she’s done with her shower, she dries her body quickly and puts on her clean clothes. The bathroom mirror is covered with moisture from the steam of the shower. She uses her towel to dry it enough for her to see her reflection in it. She runs a brush through her red hair, smoothing it out a little more. 

She’s never been one to wear makeup or spend much time on her appearance. She takes another moment to look at herself again. She looks rested. The dark circles aren’t as prominent under her eyes as they usually are. Maybe she is adjusting well to being in her new setting. Maybe Dolls is right. She definitely can’t tell him.    
  
  


——————

  
  


The mall is big and crowded. Nicole is unsure if that’s what it typically is like in this particular mall, but she’s a little uncomfortable with the crowd as they make their way through it. She looks around her, watching people in various places. Some are stopping in front of the windows of the stores just to get a glimpse of what’s inside. Some are going in the store and holding clothing up to get a closer look. There are some people just walking around in groups of friends. 

Waverly must have felt Nicole become more tense because she nudges her to gain her attention. Nicole looks down at the brunette, who is now looking up at her with soft, hazel eyes. “You okay?” she asks. Nicole nods and offers her a soft smile.

Chrissy takes the lead, dragging the pair with her into the first department store that they come to. Nicole braces herself for what is most likely about to be a long day. 

Shopping with Chrissy and Waverly is at least fairly entertaining to Nicole. She tries to keep them more interested in finding something to wear for themselves so she doesn’t have to spend too much time trying things on. She figures she can just wear jeans and a button down. How dressy can this event be?    
  
  


Early afternoon hits and no one has found anything they want to wear to the dance. They head toward the food court for lunch. Chrissy stops in her tracks at the edge of the food court, confusing Nicole for a moment until she sees Robin sitting at a table on the other side of the room. She laughs to herself at the lack of confidence Chrissy has as soon as she gets around him. 

“You gonna say hi?” Waverly asks. She nudges Chrissy gently, gesturing toward Robin. “He’s alone, now is your chance!” 

Chrissy’s eyes widen as if Waverly just told Robin directly about her giant crush on him. “Shut up!” She huffs. 

“I’ll go if you won’t,” Waverly tells her, trying to coax her to finally make a move. 

“Okay!” Chrissy finally gives in. “I’ll go!” She turns dramatically and heads toward the table that Robin is sitting at. Nicole watches, proud that she’s finally making her move. 

“Wow,” Nicole says. Waverly looks at her confused for a moment. “She’s finally going for it,” she laughs. 

“It’s about time,” Waverly groans. “You still hungry? I owe you that pretzel,” she teases. Nicole laughs and nods. They find food and walk around looking for a seat. They must have gained Robin’s attention because he invites them to sit at his table as well. They try to come up with an excuse to sit elsewhere, but they can’t. 

Chrissy doesn’t seem too disappointed when they have a seat at the table. They fall into easy conversation. This is the first time Nicole is really seeing Robin up close and having a chance to talk to him. He’s charming, she can see what Chrissy likes about him. 

Waverly gains Nicole’s attention and gestures to her, suggesting they find something else to do, leaving Chrissy and Robin alone. They make up some excuse about needing to go try on more clothes, even though that’s the last thing Nicole wants to do, and make their way away from the table. 

“Nice wingmanning,” Nicole praises Waverly. 

“If she can’t take it from there, I’m not sure what else to do,” Waverly laughs. They turn the corner into another store. “Want to try to find you something to wear now?” Nicole groans, dramatically, and follows Waverly into the store. 

Waverly stops at a rack of dresses, flipping through them. 

“I’m definitely not wearing a dress,” Nicole warns. 

“I’m looking for me, silly!” Waverly laughs. “Chrissy is crazy. Have you ever worn a dress?” 

“Not in a long time,” Nicole tells her. She feels like Waverly really gets her and isn’t here to make her feel any more uncomfortable than she already is. 

“We can find you something you’re more comfortable in, who cares if it’s not a dress,” Waverly tells her. 

“Thanks,” Nicole says, softly. She follows Waverly around the corner to a rack of pants suits and button down shirts. She smiles at the brunette as she watches her take her time to find something that Nicole might actually like to wear. 

“This!” Waverly calls out. She pulls out a royal blue button down shirt with small, white dots on it. “This would look great on you,” she says as she holds it up to her. “Try it!” Nicole takes the shirt and heads toward the dressing room. “Wait,” Waverly says. “These too.” 

She hands her a pair of light grey dress pants. Nicole takes both articles of clothing into the dressing room, trying them on while Waverly waits patiently outside the room. When she is fully dressed, she checks herself out in the mirror. She doesn’t hate it. Actually, she likes it. Waverly was right, it does look good on her. She opens the door, feeling a new found confidence that she didn’t know she had. 

“Nicole!” Waverly says, cheerfully. “You look great!” She adjusts the redhead’s collar. They make eye contact for a moment and Nicole can’t help but smile. “Told you,” Waverly says with a wink.

“Okay. Okay,” Nicole laughs.”You we’re right. Let’s find you a dress now.” 

She changes out of the outfit and drapes the clothes over her arm. They make their way back to the dresses and she watches as Waverly looks through to find something that she likes. She ends up pulling out a simple, yet elegant, black dress. 

This time, Nicole stands outside the dressing room as Waverly tries out the dress. When she opens the door to show the redhead, Nicole forgets to breathe. 

“Wow. Um. Wow,” Nicole stutters. 

“Yeah?” Waverly asks. She looks down at herself in the dress. 

“You look, wow,” Nicole blinks a few times to try to regain consciousness.

“You got any other adjectives?” Waverly teases. 

“Sorry,” Nicole blushes a little. She rubs the back of her neck with her hand, trying to reel herself back in. 

“I’m just kidding,” Waverly pushes Nicole, playfully. 

“You must be used to making people speechless,” Nicole says. She’s not trying to openly flirt with the brunette, but there’s something about this moment with her that she just can’t help herself. Wynonna is going to kill her. 

“Man, does that flattery usually get you far with people?” Waverly teases. Wait, is Waverly flirting back? Yeah, Wynonna really is going to kill her. 

“You’d be surprised,” she responds with a grin. She feels the brunette’s fingers brush lightly against her forearm as she smiles back at her. Nicole licks her lips, her mouth is suddenly very dry. 

“We should, uh, find Chrissy,” Waverly says, suddenly. “I’ll change,” she gestures over her shoulder at the dressing room. Nicole nods as the brunette heads back in the room, closing the door behind her. She leaves the dressing room and waits just outside the entrance until Waverly is done and exits. 

“So is that the one?” Nicole asks, pointing at the dress that Waverly has draped over her arm. 

“I think so!” Waverly says with a smile. They make their way over to the registers to cash out before heading back to the food court, assuming Chrissy hasn’t made it far. 


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As an “almost” Halloween treat, I decided to give you guys another update! Things are getting a little wild 😬 I hope you enjoy!

“So tell me again, what did he say?” Waverly asks as the three girls pile back into Chrissy’s car, leaving the mall. 

“We just talked, it was nice,” Chrissy says. Waverly looks at her like she’s withholding information. 

“And that’s it? Waverly doesn’t seem to believe her. “So are you going to the dance together?” She asks. 

“Maybe going to the dance with someone is overrated,” Chrissy sighs. 

“Chrissy!” Waverly yells, a little too loud. 

“We didn’t really have a chance to talk about it,” Chrissy explains. “We were alone for a little bit, then Jeremy came.” 

“Jeremy Chetri?” Waverly asks. 

“Yeah,” Chrissy says. “They were meeting up for tutoring, I guess,” she shrugs. “What about you? Where’s your date to the dance?” She asks Waverly, taking some of the attention off herself. 

“We’re not talking about me here,” Waverly warns. Nicole sits quickly in the backseat, observing the interaction.

“Champ is gonna ask you,” Chrissy says, as if she’s reassuring the brunette that she’s not going to have to attend a dance on her own. 

“Yeah yeah. It’s only homecoming, who cares if we have dates,” Waverly shrugs. Nicole can’t tell if she’s just brushing it off because she doesn’t have a date yet, or if she really doesn’t care. She never attended many school dances in the past, but when she did, she usually went with the same person. 

  
  


They return back to Chrissy’s house and Nicole brings her new clothes up to her bedroom. She hangs them up and sits back, taking another look at them. It’s been a long time since she’s had new clothes like that and she’s having mixed feelings about it. She remembers, for a moment, the look on Waverly’s face when she first came out of the fitting room. It’s been a while since anyone has looked at her like that, like she really matters. 

She digs through her box of sketchbooks that she still has yet to unpack, and pulls out an old leather bound one. She flips through a few pages, stopping on a drawing of the blonde girl in a dress. She remembers the day she saw her wear the dress and laughs at the memory of the day they picked it out together. 

_ “You have to try it on if I do,” the girl teases. She grins back at the redhead as she pulls the curtain of the fitting room to the side before moving behind it. When she is fully out of view, Nicole laughs. _

_ “No way!” She protests. The girl’s face pops out from behind the curtain as she tucks it back.  _

_ “You’re no fun!” She pouts.  _

_ “You know I don’t wear dresses!” Nicole groans. She can’t help but laugh at the pouty lip she’s receiving from the girl.  _

_ “And I do?” She asks _

_ “Apparently you do now,” Nicole laughs as she gestures toward the girl’s body that is still covered with the curtain. The girl groans and closes the curtain, coming out a few moments later in the dress. Nicole’s jaw nearly hits the floor at the sight and she can only nod in approval.  _

_ It takes her a few moments to be able to form words and when she does all she can say is, “damn.”  _

  
  


There’s a knock at her door, ripping her from her thoughts. She blinks a few times and rubs her eyes. “It’s open!” She calls out. 

“We’re watching Harry Potter if you want to join,” Waverly says as she enters the room. Nicole closes her sketchbook when she sees the brunette’s eyes drifting toward it. 

“Are you staying all weekend?” Nicole asks out of curiosity. 

“I usually do. Or we stay at my house,” Waverly tells her. 

“Shared custody?” Nicole teases, receiving a grin from the brunette. 

“Something like that,” Waverly says. “So are you down, or what?” 

“Okay,” Nicole agrees. She finds it easy to agree to whatever Waverly asks of her. She’s unsure what this power that the brunette has over her, but she’s not doing too much to fight it either. “The first one? Because I’ve never seen them.” 

She fears the moments that follow after the words fall from her lips. Admitting that she’s never seen Harry Potter has never resulted in positivity from anyone. 

Waverly’s eyes widen in shock. “You what?!”

“Okay, okay,” Nicole says, putting her hands up in front of her. “I’ve read the books!” She tries time defend herself. 

“Okay, some points regained,” Waverly says, pointing a warning finger at her. “We better get started though,” she continues. “Because this is about to turn into a marathon.” 

Nicole sighs. She isn’t sure what she just got herself into.   
  


The rest of the weekend turns into the Harry Potter marathon that Nicole didn’t ask for, but she ends up enjoying it anyway. Throughout the movies, she does take the opportunity to observe the brunette a little more as she is enthralled in what is happening on the screen.

She’s sure she’s seen them several times by now, but they still evoke an emotional response and Nicole can’t help but smile at her. Waverly catches her looking at her a couple of times and smiles back at her. 

As the films go on, she notices Waverly has moved closer to her on the couch. At one point, she tucks her feet up next to her, causing her to lean into Nicole’s side a little more. She definitely doesn’t mind. She puts her arm up on the back of the couch, allowing her to lean as much as she wants. She wonders if Chrissy notices. 

By the end of the weekend, she feels like she can barely walk from all of the sitting she did. But now she can officially say she’s seen every movie. Eight movies later, she’s finally in on what all the hype is about, even if she likes the books better.

  
  


School on Monday feels a little different than it did the week before. Waverly stops to talk to her in the halls in between classes at times, which causes more people to recognize her and say hi. Chrissy doesn’t go out of her way in school to spend time with her, but she’s not unpleasant toward her either. They continue to sit at their separate lunch tables like they have since the beginning of the school year. She doesn’t mind eating with Jeremy. She feels like she’s constantly learning new things from him. 

After school that day, Nicole agrees to go over to Waverly’s house to work on their project. There’s a nervous pit in her stomach by the time the last bell rings. She’s never been to Waverly’s house and doesn’t know what to expect. 

“Ready?” Waverly asks as she walks about behind Nicole, causing her to jump. “Everything okay?” The brunette asks. 

“Oh, yeah,” Nicole says. “I just didn’t see you there.” She shrugs and swings her backpack over her shoulder, closing the locker behind her. “Let’s go, partner.” 

She grins at Waverly, playfully nudging her with her elbow. She tries to shake away some of her nerves, but only somewhat succeeds. 

When they arrive at the Earp house, Nicole looks out the window to take on the view. The house is just as big as the Nedley house, if not bigger. She still doesn’t understand how someone can have enough stuff to fill a house so big. She mostly spends her time in her room when she is home and she finds that big enough. 

Waverly parks the car and gestures for Nicole to follow her. They make their way into the house. It’s quiet and she’s not sure if anyone else is home. She follows the brunette into the dining room where they set up their books to start working on the project. 

“Haught stuff?!” Wynonna’s voice echoes from the next room over. Waverly and Nicole both look simultaneously to their left to see the older Earp beaming as she’s walking toward them.

“You two have a weird friendship,” Waverly laughs as she shakes her head at the pair. 

Wynonna walks up to Nicole and high fives her, making the younger brunette laugh again. 

“Don’t be jealous, babygirl,” Wynonna teases. Waverly scoffs at her sister and rolls her eyes. “What are you nerds up to?”

“History project,” Nicole informs her. 

“Oh yeah, I forgot you guys started that already,” Wynonna laughs. “You’re probably the only seniors to start it already,” she teases. 

“It’s your sister’s fault,” Nicole jokes, receiving a dirty look from Waverly. “I’m kidding!” She tries to defend herself.

Wynonna sits down at the table with the pair. Waverly gives her a strange look before she finally asks why she is still there.

“Didn’t realize this was a private event,” Wynonna says, defensively. She puts her hands up in front of her and stands up from the table. Nicole laughs. “Haught, hit me up when my sister is done holding you hostage,” she says with a wink. 

“Bye, Wynonna,” Waverly huffs. Wynonna waves at the pair and leaves them alone again. They begin working diligently on their project again. They chat idly at times, but mostly about history. Nicole finds Waverly’s knowledge on the subject to be fascinating. She really is smart and she could probably listen to her all day. 

The door to the house opens and closes again and Nicole isn’t sure who has arrived this time. A man’s voice echoes through the house as he calls out letting whoever is home know that he is home now as well.

“My dad,” Waverly says softly. Her tone doesn’t display disappointment or excitement, it’s more just flat and Nicole has a hard time reading it. 

“Hey, kiddo,” the town mayor says as he comes around the corner into the dining room. “Ready for the game on Thursday?” Nicole wonders why that’s the first question he asks his daughter when he gets home. He doesn’t ask about how she is, or how her day was, he asks about a game that doesn’t take place for another three days.

“Yeah dad, we’re not the ones with the pressure,” she jokes. Nicole continues to observe the interaction between Waverly and her father quietly. 

“You’re still important, sweetheart. You pump them up for victory,” he smiles softly at his daughter.

“Sure, dad,” she laughs. “This is my friend Nicole, by the way.” Waverly finally brings the attention toward Nicole, putting her on the spot but making her feel less awkward than she was when she was just sitting there quietly. 

“I haven’t seen you around here before. Nice to meet you, Nicole,” the man shakes her hand, firmly. “Is your family from the area?” He asks. 

Nicole quickly shakes her head. “No sir, I’m from the city.” He narrows his eyes at Nicole, as if he’s trying to get a better read on her. 

“She lives with the Nedleys,” Waverly tells him. 

“Ah,” Ward says, knowingly. “Randy Nedley’s foster case. He’s a kind man, isn’t he?” He asks, condescendingly.

“He’s great,” Nicole smiles. She bites her tongue, stopping herself from saying something back to the man. She looks at Waverly, who looks quite embarrassed by the interaction. 

“So, Waverly,” Ward continues, ignoring Nicole again. “I spent the day golfing with Champ Hardy’s father.” 

“Sounds exciting,” she replies, sarcastically. 

“He tells me you and Champ have been spending more time together,” Ward tells her. 

“Not really,” Waverly laughs. Even Nicole is unsure of where this information is coming from. 

“He’s got a good family,” Ward tells her. Waverly smiles, politely and nods. Nicole can tell this is a conversation she doesn’t want to get into with her father right now, but she’s clearly annoyed. “Just keep that in mind,” Ward smiles at his daughter. 

He takes another look between Waverly and Nicole before he excuses himself and leaves a few moments later. 

“I’m sorry about my dad,” Waverly says to Nicole when Ward is finally out of sight. 

“Don’t be.” Nicole assures her. “I can handle my own.”

“He’s relentless,” Waverly sighs. Nicole instinctively reaches out for Waverly’s hand, comforting her. Waverly smiles and Nicole pulls her hand away, quickly. 

“So are you still going to the dance with Champ?” Nicole finally asks. She’s not sure what made her ask, but since Ward brought up Champ, she is curious. 

“I’m not sure,” Waverly shrugs. She doesn’t really seem to care either way. 

“Has he asked?” Nicole questions. 

“He leaves it as more of an open invitation,” Waverly says. Nicole looks at her confused. 

“What?” The redhead asks. In her book, he’s either asked her or he hasn’t, she doesn’t understand how there could be an in between. 

“Champ isn’t like most guys,” Waverly tried to explain. 

“In a good way or a bad way?” Nicole asks. She laughs a little. Why is Waverly trying to defend him if she doesn’t seem to like him all that much? 

“That’s up for interpretation,” Waverly shrugs. Nicole laughs. “What if I just said screw Champ and we went together?” The brunette asks. 

“You want to go with me?” Nicole asks. 

She’s a little shocked by the invitation. She’s also unsure on what level the invite is on. Sure, she seems to be getting vibes from Waverly from time to time, but that could also be in her head. Maybe Waverly means just as friends or in a group of people who are also single. 

“It would be fun,” Waverly says with a smile. 

“Um,” Nicole starts to stutter. She wants to tell her ‘yes’ right away. She wants to tell her she would love to accompany her to the dance. But she’s also terrified to ask any more details about the invitation. “Yeah,” she finally says. “Sounds fun,” she smiles.   
  
  


——————

  
  


The rest of the week leading up to homecoming in fairly uneventful. She attends community service and Waverly is there again. They don’t talk much about the dance. Waverly doesn’t seem like the other girls at school that plan their lives around major school events, Nicole likes that about her. They work once more on the project that week, but this time at Nicole’s house. Waverly continues to apologize for her father’s behavior around her, but Nicole says not to worry about it. 

Thursday night is the homecoming game and after some protest, Chrissy convinces Nicole to go. 

“Man, this school really makes a big deal about homecoming,” Nicole mocks as they make their way toward the field. “Is it always a two day event?” 

“Three if you include Waverly’s birthday party,” Chrissy says with a laugh. 

“Since when is Waverly’s birth associated with Purgatory homecoming?” Nicole questions. 

“When your dad is the mayor, you’re the town sweetheart and your birthday is always around homecoming weekend?” Chrissy suggests. 

Nicole just laughs and shakes her head. When they arrive at the bleachers, Chrissy ends up sitting with her friends in a different area. Nicole scans the bleachers to find any familiar faces. 

“Nicole!” She hears her name called out and looks up to see Jeremy waving back at her. She didn’t know Jeremy was much of a football fan, but she is happy to see him. She waves back at him and is about to go sit with him when she feels someone slap her arm, gaining her attention. 

“Rosita, hey!” Nicole says, surprised. “I was going to go sit with Jeremy.” 

“You’re actually going to watch the game this time?” Rosita teases. “Don’t be a nerd. We got booze again,” she gestures under the bleachers. 

Nicole looks back at Jeremy for a moment, he’s no longer looking at her. She contemplates whether or not he will miss her if she doesn’t show. She watches him for another moment and realizes he’s still doesn’t seem to be looking for her. She nods at Rosita and follows her back under the bleachers. 

“So you going to the dance tomorrow night?” Nicole asks Rosita as she follows her out of sight of other people. 

“Why? Are you finally asking me out?” Rosita teases in a sarcastic tone. 

“What?” Nicole asks. “No, I already have, I mean,” she stutters. “I told Waverly I’d go with her.” 

Rosita stops walking and turns to face Nicole. “Does Wynonna know?” she asks. 

Wynonna doesn’t know and Nicole plans on keeping it that way. 

“Does Wynonna know what?” a voice comes from behind them. 

“That she’s late and we’ve been waiting for booze,” Nicole says. She turns around quickly and takes the bottle from Wynonna’s hand, taking a swig right away. 

“Damn,” Wynonna huffs. “I didn’t keep you waiting that long!” she laughs as she takes the bottle back from Nicole. 

They spend the majority of the game hanging out and drinking. Nicole begins to wonder why she never did this before. Wynonna makes it a point to be present for the halftime show to watch her sister cheer. Nicole tries not to make it obvious that she’s mostly just watching Waverly as she twirls, spins and jumps into the air throughout the routine. Her eyes narrow in on the brunette who seems to be a natural, never missing a beat. 

The routine ends and Wynonna waits at the fence for Waverly to make her way back to the sidelines. Nicole continues to watch her as she bounces over, the muscles in her legs flex as she moves toward them. 

She doesn’t realize how hard she is staring until Rosita nudges her with her elbow in the side. “Ow,” Nicole huffs, regaining consciousness and remember when she was. 

Waverly stops at the fence to talk to Wynonna for a moment. “You smell like dad,” Waverly huffs at her sister as she pulls away from the tight hug she is receiving. Wynonna cackles at the comment, but from the look on Waverly’s face, it wasn’t meant to be a joke. 

Waverly turns and smiles at Nicole and Rosita who are hanging back behind Wynonna. “Nice routine,” Rosita tells her, prompting an immediate ‘thanks’ from Waverly. 

All Nicole can think to say is, ‘nice legs,’ but she refrains. She just agrees with Rosita instead, receiving a quick wink from the brunette as she heads back to her team and an even quicker dirty look from her older sister. 

Just before the second half of the game, Wynonna gestures for Nicole and Rosita to join her with the bottle of liquor again. Nicole passes on the offer and scans the stands, making brief eye contact with Jeremy. She waves in his direction, but she’s quickly rejected by him turning away from her. She immediately feels bad for blowing her friend off. The first major screwup of the weekend.   
  
  
  


—————-

  
  
  


Nicole’s stomach is in knots for the majority of the day on Friday. The homecoming dance is that night and she’s still unsure what Waverly meant when she asked her to go with her. Chrissy spent the night at Waverly’s house and they didn’t have school that day to allow the students to get ready for the dance. Nicole took advantage of this time off to mostly just sleep. She had no intentions of going anywhere that day until the last minute possible. She didn’t find any point in getting her hair or nails done, she was never into that sort of thing. 

After her third movie of the day, she decides she should probably get up at get ready for the dance. She pulls on the new clothes that they bought at the mall over the weekend. She stands in front of a mirror, looking herself over. She smooths her hands down her body. The fabric feels stiff, but she likes the way she looks in the outfit. 

She checks her phone to see if Waverly has texted her. She hasn’t heard from her for most of the day. She figures she’s just been busy with Chrissy. Randy offers her a ride to the school since Chrissy isn’t there. She’s only slightly embarrassed being dropped off by the town’s sheriff, but he doesn’t stay long after she hops out of the car. She thanks him and he pulls away soon after. 

“Damn, nerd, you look extra Haught tonight.” Nicole turns to see Wynonna leaning up against a post outside of the school. 

“Good one,” She laughs. She walks over to where the brunette is, rather than going inside right away. 

“Got a hot date?” Wynonna asks. Nicole becomes immediately uncomfortable. 

“What? No. I was just going to hang out with Chrissy and Waverly probably,” She lies a little. 

She remembers the threats Wynonna has made toward her about her sister and she wasn’t ready to have that conversation yet. She wasn’t even sure if it was a conversation that they needed to have. 

“Hey, relax there, Romeo. You’re still not trying to go after my sister right?” Wynonna points a warning finger toward the redhead. 

“Contrary to popular belief, Wynonna, lesbians can have platonic friendships with girls,” Nicole informs her. “What’s your issue with that anyway? Would it be a bad thing if she was into girls?”

“No!” Wynonna says, quickly. “That’s not what I said! I just saw you first!” She says. Nicole looks at her, confused.

“Excuse me, what?” She asks, shocked. “Are you even into girls?” 

“I’m not blind,” Wynonna shrugs. Nicole isn’t sure at this point if she is being serious or messing with her. 

“Do I get a say in this?” Nicole asks. She decides to play along for now. 

“Are you saying I’m not the hot Earp?” Wynonna squints her eyes at the redhead and leans in closer toward her. 

“What are you doing out here anyway?” Nicole changes the subject, taking a step back to add more space between them. 

“Rosie wanted to meet here,” Wynonna says. “She apparently had to convince her parents she was actually going to the school dance so she had to make it realistic. I have her change of clothes.” She shakes the bag that she’s holding in front of her. 

“You’ve thought of it all,” Nicole laughs. 

“So do you want to ditch this place or what?” Wynonna asks. “Rosie should be here soon.” 

Nicole looks behind her at the entrance of the school. She watches as people make their way inside to the dance. They’re all dressed nicely, some walking hand in hand with others. 

She sees Champ and a couple other football players stepping out of a car in the parking lot. She hears one of the guys ask why he hasn’t asked Waverly to the dance. She hears him reply something about not having to ask her to know they’re going together. 

Everything in her, for a moment, wants to go in there and save her from that. Suddenly her thoughts switch to fear. Fear of making a fool of herself in front of Waverly. Fear that she walks in the gym and sees Champ with Waverly. Fear of rejection. Fear of jealousy. 

She turns back toward Wynonna. Rosita arrives a moment later, making her way up to the pair. “You ditching too?” Rosita asks. 

Nicole takes another look back at the school. She pulls her phone out of her pocket to see she doesn’t have any messages. She looks back at Rosita and nods. “Yeah, lets go.”   
  
  


Throughout the rest of the night, the pit of guilt in Nicole’s stomach only grows. She finds her way out to the deck of the house they ended up at. This time it’s the Gardner house, the home of Mercedes and Beth. Rumor has it they have a younger brother that they rarely speak of. He’s been sent away to some boarding school where he’s been for quite some time now. At least that’s what people say. 

She takes a seat on the steps of the deck. She wonders what Waverly is doing, she wonders if she even noticed that she’s not there. She pictures her dancing with Champ. She sees him holding her close, while they dance during slow songs. 

She takes a swig of the mixed drink that Rosita brought her a little while ago. It burns slightly as it makes its way down her throat. She cringes at the feeling, but quickly chases it with another sip. 

“You cool, Haught?” Rosita asks, sitting down next to her on the steps. 

“Uh, yeah,” Nicole says. She takes another swig of alcohol.

“Convincing,” Rosita laughs. “Do you want to talk about it?” She asks. 

“Talk about what?” Nicole asks. Her tone comes off as more defensive than she meant it to. 

“Why did you really ditch the dance?” Rosita asks. “You’re all dressed up, you seem to have had intentions of actually going.” 

“I don’t know,” Nicole says. “This is more fun.” She's sure she doesn’t sound convincing. “Where’s Wynonna? She was the one who offered for me to come,” she tries to change the subject. 

“She’s off with Doc somewhere,” Rosita shrugs. This seems to be pretty in character for Wynonna at parties. “Sitting on a deck outside by yourself is more fun?” Rosita asks. “You’re going to have to do better than that.” 

Nicole sighs and takes another drink from her cup. “Have you ever had something so that’s so close, if you reach out just a little bit further you’ll finally have it in your grasp?” Nicole asks. “But then you’re afraid once you do have it, you’ll just break it anyway?” 

Rosita takes a moment, listening quietly, letting the words sink in before she speaks. “Yeah,” she admits. 

“That’s been most of my life,” Nicole explains. “Just when things look like they could go a certain way, it’s ripped out from under me. So I try not to let it get to that point.” 

“You really like her, don’t you?” Rosita asks. Nicole looks around to see if Wynonna is in sight. She isn’t in much of a mood to get yelled at at the moment. 

“I’m not sure, Rosita,” Nicole says. “I don’t even know what she thinks of me. Is she even into girls?” 

“I can’t answer that for you,” Rosita tells her. “But I can tell you this. Girls, at least most girls, are into honesty.” 

Nicole sighs and takes another drink from her cup. When her phone goes off a little while later with a text from Waverly, she apologizes and tells her she wasn’t feeling well. Not exactly what Rosita meant when she said girls like honesty. That was the next screwup of the weekend. 

  
  


—————

  
  


There’s a pain in her head as Nicole wakes up the next morning. The rest of the night was pretty much a blur and she’s surprised she isn’t feeling more hungover than she currently is. She squints her eyes open, shielding her face from the sunlight that’s coming in through the window. She groans as she tries to open them fully, finally being able to see where she is. 

She’s still at the Gardner house, sleeping on top of the covers of a bed that she barely remembers landing in a few hours before. She shifts in her spot, accidentally hitting another person, who is laying next to her, with her arm. 

“Ow,” Rosita groans as Nicole feels her shift where she is laying. 

Nicole’s eyes shoot fully open and she rolls over to see Rosita opening her eyes. “Rosita?” Nicole asks, confused. 

“Still me,” Rosita laughs. Nicole tries to lift herself from her bed, but quickly retracts when she feels the pain in her head again. 

“Fuck,” she groans, grabbing her head. “Tell me we didn’t-” she glances down to see they’re both still clothed.

“Easy there, Haught,” Rosita says, quickly. “Taking advantage of drunk girls isn’t my thing,” she laughs. 

“What?” Nicole says, quickly. “No! That’s not what I meant,” she says. “Damn, my head hurts,” she rubs her temples with her index fingers and lays her head back down on the pillow. 

“I’m just messing with you,” Rosita says. Nicole shoots her a look and rolls over, looking for her phone. She sees that she remembered to text Randy, letting him know she wouldn’t be home that night. She’s shocked for a moment that she would do something like that. “I texted Nedley for you,” Rosita tells her. 

“Thanks,” Nicole says. 

She lays back down and sees that she has a text from Waverly asking if she’s feeling any better. The guilty feeling in the pit of her stomach comes back again. She doesn’t respond to the text. She sets her phone back down and slowly climbs out of bed.   
  


Rosita gives her a ride back to her house a little later that day. She thanks the brunette for taking care of her and hanging out with her the night before. When she goes inside the house, she sees no one else is home. She assumes Chrissy is still at Waverly’s house for the weekend. 

She takes a much needed shower that makes her head feel a little less like it’s going to explode. After her shower she wanders downstairs to find something to eat. She’s not sure what she will be able to stomach, but she knows she’s going to have to eat something.   
  


Rosita comes back a little while before they need to leave for Waverly’s birthday party. Nicole isn’t sure what she’s going to say to Waverly about why she didn’t show up for the dance last night. She wonders if Waverly is over it by now or if it’s something that’s eating away at her as well. 

She leaves her room dressed in a pair of dark washed skinny jeans and a red flannel. Rosita playfully looks her up and down, making cat calls at her. Nicole gives her the middle finger as she makes her way down the stairs.   
  


The party is pretty busy by the time they arrive. Nicole is surprised by the turnout, but she knows she shouldn’t be. Waverly is one of the most liked people in the entire town. 

She sees familiar faces as she walks through the house, but there’s no sign of Waverly at first. She sees Wynonna, who makes some comment at her about being a nerd and wondering where she went last night. Nicole rolls her eyes at the brunette, who smirks back at her knowing that she was the one who keeps disappearing on Nicole. 

She finds her way in the direction of the alcohol, pouring herself a cup of whatever concoction is there. It tastes way better than the drinks Rosita made her, so she’s okay with it. She turns back to see where Rosita went and she sees her talking with a few other people on the other side of the room. 

Part of her wants to ask where Waverly is to wish her a happy birthday. That part of her wants to spend the party in the presence of Waverly, listening to her talk, watching her smile, hearing her laugh. The other part of her wants to avoid Waverly at all costs, afraid of how she is going to take it when she eventually succumbs to telling her to truth. She blew her off. 

“Nicole!” she hears Waverly’s voice come from the next room over as she’s making her way through the house. She smiles at the girl and joins her where she is. “You actually showed,” Waverly says. She doesn’t seem mad, she continues to smile at the redhead. 

“Why wouldn’t I have?” Nicole asks. “Oh, the dance, yeah, about that,” she continues. 

“It’s okay,” Waverly tells her, placing her hand on her shoulder for a moment. Nicole can tell something is bothering Waverly, she sees it in her face. “Are you feeling better? I tried texting you.”

“Yeah, sorry, I’m still getting used to having a phone.” It isn’t a total lie, but she still feels bad. “Look, Waverly,” Nicole starts to try to explain herself. She needs to tell her the truth. “I wasn’t entirely truthful with you,” she admits. Waverly looks confused at first. “I don’t know what happened. You asked me to go to the dance with you and I got there and, I don’t know, I just freaked,” she explains. 

“Nicole-” Waverly starts, but Nicole isn’t finished. 

“You’ve been a great friend to me,” Nicole says. Waverly’s face drops a little but she quickly covers it up with a smile. Nicole isn’t sure if she meant to show that to her. “I guess I just thought,” she continues. “Well, I don’t know what I thought. But I’m sorry. I’m really sorry.” 

She feels a heaviness in her chest. The last thing she wants is to disappoint Waverly. She’s not even entirely sure why.

“Nicole,” Waverly says. Her voice is soft and sweet. She places her hand on her shoulder again. “Breathe. Just breathe,” she says, softly. 

_ Just breathe.  _

She feels the weight of her father’s hands on her shoulders from when she was six. 

_ Just breathe.  _

She feels the hand of the girl she once loved pressing against her heart. 

_ Just breathe.  _

She’s back to reality, Waverly’s hand still on her shoulder. 

“I-” she stutters a little. “I need air.” 

She quickly turns away from Waverly without looking back. She sees a clearing in the crowd, leading her to the back door of the house. There’s something about being alone in the night air that Nicole enjoys about Purgatory. In the city, she was never alone, even when she wasn’t there with anyone. There were always people, always noise, and never as many stars. 

The air is cool and she immediately breathes it in, letting out an audible sigh. She needed to get some space before she became too overwhelmed. She’s not sure what she’s even thinking with Waverly. Waverly is her foster sister’s best friend. She’s her friend’s sister, her history partner, her friend. She isn’t going to be anything more than her friend. 

She quickly jumps when she sees movement to her left, realizing she actually wasn’t alone. “You’re new here,” a dark haired girl says to Nicole as she moves a little closer in the light that is illuminating from the back of the house. 

“Guilty as charged,” Nicole says with a smile. “Are you going to ask me my life story like everyone else around here?” She lets out a laugh.

“Nah,” The girl shrugs. “Sometimes mystery is good. I wish I could be a mystery to people are here. Once they know your business, it’s all downhill from there,” she laughs as she takes a swig of the liquid in the cup that she is holding. 

Nicole laughs. She’s intrigued by this girl who doesn’t need every detail of her from the start. She likes someone who wants to get to know her before hearing about her past. “Well you’re a mystery to me,” Nicole says as she smirks over the edge of the cup as she takes a sip. She doesn’t purposely try to flirt with someone else, but maybe it will help get her mind off of Waverly. 

“Then we have something in common,” the girl smiles. “I’m Shae. Shae Pressman.”

“Nicole Haught,” she smiles back at the girl.

“Well Nicole Haught, you seem to have done something right, already having an in with Purgatory’s princess, Waverly Earp,” Shae teases. 

She turns and leans her elbows on the edge of the deck, looking out into the backyard. Nicole does the same. They’re standing closer now, arms just barely brushing. 

“Luck of the draw, I guess,” Nicole shrugs. Shae gives her a confused look. “We’re history partners,” Nicole laughs. 

“Ah, Shae says knowingly. “Man, I got stuck with Champ Hardy on that stupid thing,” Shae groans. She takes another large swig of her drink. 

“Is he that bad?” Nicole asks. She doesn’t hear the best things about Champ, but Waverly doesn’t seem to hate him, so she doesn’t think he can be that bad. 

“Let’s just say, he’s not the sharpest tool in the shed. Emphasis on tool,” Shae says with a laugh, louder than before, causing Nicole to laugh along with her. 

“Then why is Waverly interested in him?” Nicole asks. She is not sure why that question even came out. She’s not even sure if Waverly is interested in him or not. She also doesn’t know why she can’t stop thinking or talking about Waverly. Waverly is her friend. Just her friend. 

“Beauty over brains? The man is gorgeous,” she sighs. And his family is rich.

“So is hers,” Nicole tells her. She gestures around toward the house. 

“Now you’re catching on,” Shae says with a wink. Nicole doesn’t think she understands. She doesn’t try. 

“Yeah, this is like a whole new world to me,” Nicole admits with a laugh. She hopes Shae continues to not ask questions about where she’s from. “Is Champ even here?” she asks. 

“Rumor has it he went to a party in the next town over first,” Shae tells her. She doesn’t seem surprised. 

“On Waverly’s birthday?” Nicole asks confused. 

“I told you, beauty, not brains,” Shae says. 

“She deserves better than that,” Nicole says. 

She feels immediately defensive, wanting to protect the brunette from anything that would hurt her. She takes a breath to calm herself down, she knows it’s not her job. She needs to stop worrying so much about Waverly. 

“What about you? Got your eye on any of the eligible bachelors of Purgatory?” Shae asks. 

“No,” Nicole laughs.

“Me neither. I prefer mysterious people who aren’t from around here,” Shae says. Nicole swallows hard and looks back at the brown eyes that seem to devour her with one look. She doesn’t hate it, it’s nice to be noticed. She goes to take another sip of her drink, realizing her cup is empty. “I’m out,” she waves the cup in the air. “Want anything?” She asks as she gestures over her shoulder. 

Shae nods and leans in toward Nicole. She grasps Nicole’s collar with her hand, bringing her in closer. Nicole doesn’t pull back. She pushes forward, connecting lips with the other girl. She parts her lips and feels Shae’s tongue against her own. She brings her hands to Shae’s hips, bracing herself a little more as they continue to make out.   
  


A few moments later, the back door to the deck slides open, breaking the pair from their moment. Nicole looks behind her to see Waverly staring back at them. She opens her mouth to talk, but nothing comes out. 

“I, uh, sorry, I,” Waverly stutters. Her eyes remain plastered on the pair.

Nicole stops like a deer in headlights and watches as Waverly turns to leave. She wants to reach out for her and she swears she does. She feels Shae reach for her hand, lacing their fingers together before pulling her by the shirt and in for another kiss. They kiss for a moment before Nicole pulls away. 

“I need some air,” Nicole says. 

Shae looks at her confused for a moment. She’s unsure why that was what she said, seeing as though they’re already outside.

Nicole realizes she has made her third major screw up of the weekend. She quickly turns and makes her way back inside. The music is loud and she can feel the bass pulsing through her body. She scans the party, looking for Waverly but she’s nowhere in sight. 


	7. Chapter 7

Nicole continues to scan the party and is quickly stopped by Rosita, asking if she is okay. She must be easy to read at the moment. 

“Have you seen Waverly?” Nicole asks. “I think I messed up,” she sighs. 

Rosita doesn’t ask about what happened, she just gestures over her shoulder. Nicole looks past the girl to see Waverly talking with Chrissy and Robin. She sighs again and makes her way over to the group. 

“Hey, can we talk?” Nicole asks, placing her hand gently on Waverly’s arm. Waverly turns toward Nicole, giving her a look she’s never received from her before. 

“About what?” Waverly asks, a little annoyed. 

Nicole looks at Chrissy and Robin, who are now looking back at her too. Chrissy narrows her eyes, giving her a look. Nicole pinches the bridge of her nose between her fingers and closes her eyes for a moment. 

“Please?” she asks. She sees Chrissy and Waverly exchange a look.

“You can have her later,” Chrissy says, dragging Waverly by the arm. “We have to go dance.”

“Right now? You have to dance, right now?” Nicole asks. They’re really trying her patience. 

Waverly nods and gestures over her shoulder. “I love this song,” she says as Chrissy drags her out of sight. Nicole internally groans and turns back toward Robin who just shrugs his shoulders at her.

“Girls, amirite?” he asks. Nicole shakes her head at him.

“Did she say anything about me?” Nicole asks. She’s not even sure why she asks him that question. She’s sure even if she did, he probably wouldn’t say anything. 

“Her and Chrissy have been whispering back and forth for a little bit here,” Robin explains. “And I’m not gonna lie, I have no idea what it was about,” he laughs and takes a sip of the drink in his hand. 

“I’m gonna need another drink,” Nicole sighs. “You need anything?” she asks. Robin shakes his head and holds up his mostly full cup. Nicole nods and heads toward the kitchen for a refill. 

On her way into the kitchen, she spots Waverly and Chrissy, dancing in the other room. She makes brief eye contact with Waverly as the brunette takes a swig of whatever she’s drinking and continues dancing with her best friend. This is the first time Nicole has ever seen Waverly drunk and she’s trying not to find it as adorable as she does. She tries flashing her a dimpled grin, only to receive Waverly’s back and a warning look from Chrissy. 

The first person she sees in the kitchen is Shae. She’s not sure how to greet her after she just made out with her and took off. Shae smiles at her softly, which makes her feel a little better.

“Hey, Shae,” Nicole says. “Listen, I’m sorry about out there,” she gestures over her shoulder. 

“Hey,” Shae says softly. “No worries,” she tells her. “I didn’t realize you and Waverly-” 

Nicole’s eyes widen at the statement.

“What?” she says quickly. “That’s not-” she pauses for a moment. The last thing she wants for Waverly is rumors going around about the two of them. “We’re just friends,” she assures her. 

“Okay, okay,” Shae says, putting her hands up in front of her. “Friends,” she says. Nicole still feels like Shae doesn't believe her. 

“Yeah,” Nicole says.

“Well, if you ever need something a little more than a friendship,” Shae says as she moves closer to the redhead. “Hit me up,” she whispers in Nicole’s ear. 

She shivers at the feeling of the girls’s breath against her skin. Nicole nods and watches as Shae leaves the room, joining more of their classmates in the other room. She refills her cup and goes back out to the party as well.

  
Waverly and Chrissy seem to be avoiding Nicole for about another hour. She hangs back, talking with Robin for a while. She finds him to be a really nice guy, she sees what Chrissy likes about him. She sends a text to Rosita to see if she’s still there, but she tells her that she’s already gone. Wynonna and Doc are making out in the corner, so she doesn’t even try to interrupt that. 

Finally Waverly and Chrissy make their way back over to where Nicole and Robin are talking. They look tired from dancing and definitely more drunk. Chrissy says she’s going to go get more to drink, taking Waverly’s cup for her. She gestures for Robin to come with her, finally leaving Nicole and Waverly to talk for a moment. 

“Have fun?” Nicole asks, she shoves her free hand in her pocket. She’s not sure why she’s suddenly nervous to talk to Waverly. She takes another sip from her cup.

“Yeah,” Waverly says. “I love to dance.”

“Well, you’re really good at it,” Nicole says with a smile. 

“Thanks,” Waverly smiles back at her.

“Hey, listen, I’m sorry about earlier,” Nicole starts. 

“What about it?” Waverly asks, putting Nicole on the spot. 

“I feel like I upset you, and that wasn’t my intention. I was just out there for a breather and I met Shae and-”

“And you make out with girls you just met?” Waverly asks. “Hey, if that’s your style, Nicole, who am I to stop you?” 

Nicole stops for a moment. She wants to tell her that she is more than she thinks she is. She wants to tell her she doesn’t know who she is but she wants to find out. 

“I’m here to celebrate your birthday though,” Nicole says.

“Nicole,” Waverly says. Her tone is serious. “I’m old enough now to realize that most people don’t come here to celebrate me, they come here for booze and to be around all their friends,” she explains. “You really have nothing to be sorry about.” She sees Chrissy leaving the kitchen and starts walking toward her to retrieve her drink. Nicole quickly follows after her.

“And what if I’m not most people?” she calls out, causing Waverly to turn around. 

“You’re not,” Waverly tells her. “And that’s-” she trails off and doesn’t complete the sentence. 

“That’s what?” Nicole asks, desperate to know. 

They catch up to where Chrissy is and Waverly takes the drink out of her hand. She leans in to whisper something to Chrissy. Nicole wishes she could hear what it was, but she can’t. Chrissy gives Waverly a warning look at first, then nods. 

Waverly takes a swig of her drink and turns toward Nicole. “Let’s talk upstairs,” she says. 

Nicole agrees right away, she doesn’t want to waste any opportunity to finally get to talk to Waverly alone. She follows the brunette up the stairs, both carrying a drink in hand. 

Waverly stops at a door halfway down the hallway, telling her she needs to use the bathroom and directs her to the room at the end of the hallway. “That’s my room,” she points. “I’ll be right there.” Nicole nods and takes Waverly’s drink for her.

When she arrives in the room, she slowly pushes the door open. She’s never been in Waverly’s room before and feels weird being in there alone. She sets Waverly’s drink down on her desk and looks around the room a little, trying not to be too nosy. 

There’s a shelf full of cheerleading trophies on one end of the room. She looks at them for a moment, it’s impressive. She takes a seat at the end of the bed, waiting for Waverly to return. The room is quiet, but there’s a faint sound of music and people talking coming from below her. 

When Waverly opens the bedroom door, Nicole jumps up, realizing it was probably rude to sit on the girl’s bed without her permission or knowledge. “Did I scare you?” Waverly asks. 

“I just realized I was making myself a little too at home,” Nicole laughs. “Your drink is over there,” she says, pointing at the drink.

“Thanks,” Waverly smiles. She closes the door behind her, locking the handle. Nicole notices and swallows hard. “You can sit, it’s okay,” Waverly laughs. She takes a sip of her drink again and plops down on the bed next to Nicole. 

“So how did you finally get away from Chrissy?” Nicole teases. 

“It wasn’t easy,” Waverly laughs. “She’s just protective,” she explains. Nicole gets it. Chrissy never had siblings before her, not that Chrissy really considers her much of a sister. But Waverly was the closest thing she had to a sibling for most of her life, she definitely doesn’t want to come between that bond. 

“I get it,” Nicole tells her. 

“She also doesn’t like to leave me alone with certain people when I’m drinking,” Waverly tells her. Nicole looks confused for a moment. “She’s afraid I’ll say something that I mean,” she shrugs. Nicole laughs at her honesty. 

“I really wasn’t trying to upset you,” Nicole tells her again. She is apologetic and still can’t help but feel bad.

“I was upset before that,” Waverly finally admits. Nicole turns her head to make eye contact with the girl. “Family stuff,” she shrugs. 

“Do you want to talk about it?” Nicole asks. They haven’t talked about Waverly’s family too much. Waverly just spent most of the time after Nicole met her father apologizing for his behavior. 

“My oldest sister was supposed to come into town this weekend,” Waverly tells her without hesitation. “She called me just before the party and told me she wasn’t going to make it.”

“I’m sorry, Waves,” Nicole says. The nickname is something she’s heard other people call her, but hasn’t tried it herself. Waverly doesn’t seem to care. 

“It’s fine-”

“It’s not fine if it’s upsetting you,” Nicole tells her. “Do you see her often?” she asks.

“No,” Waverly says. “And honestly, I don’t normally care. She’s kind of a jerk,” she admits. “But she said she’d be here and she’s not. I don’t know, am I being too sensitive?”

“Hey,” Nicole says, she places her hand on Waverly’s thigh trying to comfort her. Her brain short circuits for a moment when Waverly’s doesn’t push it away, but places her hand over the redhead’s hand instead. “You’re not being too sensitive,” Nicole tells her. “Families can suck big time sometimes.”

“You really get it, don’t you?” Waverly asks. Nicole nods and thinks for a moment about all the families she has spent time with.

“I’ve seen a lot of families in my life,” Nicole explains. “Every single one of them has different dynamics. You don’t ever need to apologize for being upset or something like that.”

“Thanks,” Waverly says, she squeezes Nicole’s hand. “I’m sorry I got upset when I saw you,” she says. 

So, she was upset.

“It’s okay-” Nicole tells her. 

“I was just not having the best night and you told me about the dance,” Waverly continues to explain. “And I get it, Nicole, I didn’t know what to expect when I asked you to come with me either. I know we’re friends and I just thought it would be nice to hang out together outside of our project and Chrissy’s, I mean, your house. And you seemed excited, you looked so good in your new outfit. You were confident. And when you didn’t show, I was concerned. Like I thought I did something at first, then I was worried about you,” she explains. “Like really worried.” Nicole feels the pit of guilt forming again in her stomach. The last thing she wants to do is upset the brunette. “Then you explained yourself and I was okay with it, I get being unsure of things and scared in a moment, trust me.” 

Waverly stops talking and lifts her hands to her face, rubbing it before dropping her hands back down into her lap. Nicole takes her hand off of Waverly’s leg and returns it to her own lap. “You okay?” Nicole asks.

“Yeah,” Waverly says. “I’m rambling,” she seems embarrassed. 

“It’s okay,” Nicole says with a smile. “Ramble away,” she laughs. 

“Thanks,” Waverly laughs. “When I came outside, I was checking on you. You seemed upset, and I wanted to give you a minute, but I couldn’t help but want to make sure you were okay. And I saw you and Shae and-”

“And?” Nicole asks.

“And I don’t know,” Waverly says. She stands up from the bed, pacing the room. “I don’t know why it upset me, okay?” She raises her voice a little and take a sip of her drink again. 

“Waves,” Nicole says, attempting to calm her down. She stands up and sets her drink down. She places both of her hands on the brunette’s shoulders. “Just breathe,” she tells her like she did for her earlier. She feels the brunette relax, closing her eyes and letting a breath out. “It’s going to be okay,” she assures her. 

“Thank you,” Waverly says as she opens her eyes. Nicole stays where she is, hands still ok Waverly’s shoulders, soft, hazel eyes staring back at her. She nods and moves her hands, picking her drink back up. 

“You’re welcome,” she says as she takes a sip of her drink. 

By this point in the night, the alcohol is close to taking over her ability to think straight. She thinks about taking this opportunity to just go for it and kiss the brunette. She wonders what her lips would feel like against her own. She wants to feel her body pressed closely against hers. But she doesn’t make any moves. She just takes a step back and sits back down on the bed behind her. “You don’t have to have all the answers,” Nicole tells her.

She thinks that’s hard for Waverly to hear. Waverly always has the answers, it’s in her nature. She’s the type of person that if someone needs to know something, she probably knows it. 

“That’s harder for me than you know,” Waverly laughs. 

“I know,” Nicole says. “I just mean not everything is so simple.” 

“Yeah,” Waverly says, stepping forward. She’s now standing directly in front of Nicole. With Nicole sitting in front of her, and their height difference, Waverly is just a little taller than she is now. “That’s for sure,” she says as she leans over to set her drink down on her desk. 

Waverly pauses for a moment in front of the redhead. Nicole looks up at her, eyes gazing into her own. Nicole feels Waverly’s hands gently caress her cheeks before they slide to the back of her head, tangling into her hair. Nicole doesn’t move at first, as if she forgets how to. When she feels Waverly’s lips press softly against her own, she feels like her heart is pounding out of her chest. She reciprocates the kiss right away. 

Kissing Waverly is better than she expected. Her lips and soft and warm against her own. She continues, slowly, afraid to push Waverly too far. It doesn’t take long before she feels the brunette deepening the kiss on her own. Teeth grazing her bottom lip, tongues sweeping against each other. Nicole stands from the bed, lips still connected. She wraps her arms around Waverly’s torso, trying to stop her hands from wandering where they want. Waverly’s hands become more tangled in her hair as they continue to kiss. They migrate across the room, Nicole sets her cup down on the desk and pins Waverly against the nearest flat surface she can find; the door. 

She feels Waverly giggle into her mouth as they continue to kiss, causing Nicole to smile. She’s not sure how much time passes before they pull away for air. Waverly remains with her back against the door, breathing heavily, hazel eyes making fierce eye contact. Nicole has one hand on the brunette’s hip, the other flat against the door above her head as she catches her breath. 

It’s quiet in the room other than the sound of breathing beginning to steady. On the inside, Nicole is screaming. Everything in her body is telling her to continue. Her heart is pounding. Her head is spinning. Every part of her mind is being consumed by thoughts of Waverly. 

Suddenly, there is a knock at the door, causing them to jump. Waverly gives her a panicked look and she moves away, providing the brunette with space. Nicole sits back on the bed, as if the last ten minutes never happened. She watches as Waverly turns to unlock the door, opening it to see Chrissy staring back at her. 

“Champ’s here,” Chrissy tells her. She looks past Waverly, making eye contact with Nicole. Nicole forces a smile and Chrissy gives her a suspicious look. “And he’s wasted,” the blonde huffs as she turns back toward Waverly. 

Waverly groans and opens the door fully to leave. She doesn’t look back at Nicole. 

Nicole makes her way back downstairs again after a few minutes of sitting alone in Waverly’s bedroom. She’s trying to process what had happened between her and Waverly. 

The noise level downstairs seems to have increased from what it was before they went upstairs. As soon as her feet hit the floor at the bottom of the stairs, she heads straight for a refill of her drink. 

“You better not have been using my room as a hookup spot, Haught,” Wynonna says as she enters the kitchen behind Nicole. 

“Uh, no,” Nicole says quickly. She’s nervous to tell Wynonna she was up there with Waverly, but the alcohol is making it difficult for her to hold back. “I was talking to Waverly.” She expects the warning look that comes next from the older Earp. 

“Talking?” Wynonna asks. 

“Yeah, it’s too loud down here,” Nicole trails off, turning back to see a room full of people dancing and talking loudly. 

“Yeah, what’s going on out there anyway?” Wynonna asks, referring to the increase in volume in the other room. Nicole shrugs and heads in the direction of the noise, letting out a breath once she knew she was in the clear from the wrath of Wynonna. 

When she makes it out to the other room, she sees Chrissy and Waverly hanging out with Robin. Champ Hardy, who’s clearly drunk, seems to be having difficulty standing up straight. He keeps making his way over to Waverly, whispering in her ear and receiving a not so welcoming look from the brunette. She sees Chrissy say something to the boy that she can’t hear and Robin holding him back for a moment until he stands up straight again. 

She wants to go over and see if she can help. She wants to protect Waverly from whatever is happening, but she doesn’t really know what’s going on. 

“Fuckin’ Hardy,” Wynonna groans as she walks up next to Nicole. 

“Is she okay?” Nicole asks, not taking her eyes off of Waverly. 

“I’m sure she’s fine, she’s an Earp,” Wynonna says, indicating that Waverly can take care of herself. “He’s just a drunk asshole.”

“Come on, Waves, I wanted to give you your birthday present,” Champ says, wrapping his arms around Waverly’s torso. 

The brunette pushes him away, moving her face away from him before he can press his lips against hers. Nicole feels a surge of anger fueling from within her as she watches the boy putting his hands all over Waverly, his lips landing against the brunette’s cheek.

“Champ, you’re drunk,” Waverly says as she pushes him completely off of her. 

“Everybody’s drunk! It’s a party!” Champ says in a cheerful tone. He gestures around the room at the other people who are drinking and dancing. There are cheers from other people in the room. He tries to wrap his arms back around Waverly. 

“Champ, I’m serious, stop!” she yells as she pushes him away again. Wynonna huffs and heads toward her sister, Nicole following closely behind. 

“Champ I think she asked you to stop,” Robin says, stepping in between the pair, attempting to stop the other boy from continuing. 

“Relax, Jett,” Champ slurs. He tries to move by the taller boy, but fails. “I’m just showing a girl some affection, you know what that’s like, right?” 

Robin’s eyes widen in reaction to the comment. Nicole watches, confused by what he means, but she can no longer sit back and watch.

“Leave him alone, Champ!” Nicole calls out, stepping forward a little more. 

“Oh, the new girl,” Champ huffs. He turns his body toward the redhead. His speech is slurred and his balance is off. “Protecting your own kind,” he croaks. 

“What’s that supposed to mean?” Nicole asks, anger brewing inside of her more, almost bubbling over. Robin continues to stand in shock, unsure of what is about to happen.

“Jett you get it, right fag?” Champ barks. Robin’s face immediately drops 

“Okay, that’s enough, Champ,” Wynonna says. She holds the boy back, pushing him away from the group a little more. 

“Wynonna, I’m not here to start any trouble,” Champ says, putting her hands in the air in front of him, backing away from the older Earp a little more. “I was just trying to talk to your sister,” he explains.

“Talk to her with your mouth, not your hands,” Nicole chimes in.

“Oh I’ll talk to her with my mouth,” the boy says with a disgusting smirk and a wink. 

Nicole can’t take it anymore. She moves in quickly toward him, shoving him with her hands. He flies backwards and she continues moving toward him, lifting her arm up, about to strike, until she feels someone pull back on her arm. 

“Nicole, stop!” Waverly yells. Nicole turns around to see the desperate, panicked look in Waverly’s face. She relaxes slightly, putting her arm back down by her side. 

“He’s an ass, Waves!” Nicole protests. 

“I get that, Nicole!” Waverly continues to yell. “But I don’t need you to protect me! It’s not your job!” She drops her hand quickly from Nicole’s arm, pushing it away slightly at the same time. 

Nicole’s face drops and there’s a pain in her chest. “I’m just,” she says, softly.

“Maybe you should just go,” Waverly says.

“What?” Nicole pauses. She narrows her eyes at the brunette for a moment, attempting to gauge whether or not she actually wants her to leave. She’s unable to read Waverly. All she sees is a serious face that doesn’t break. “Okay.” She sets her cup down and puts her hands in the air. “Okay.” 

She looks back at Wynonna, who nods at her like she’s able to take care of it. She even thinks she gets a sympathetic look from Chrissy before she heads for the door. 

She steps out into the cool air of the night and starts her trek down the long driveway of the Earp house. The sound of the party fades a little more with every step she takes. It’s quiet all around her, other than the sound of her own feet against the pavement. 

She suddenly hears someone jogging up behind her. “Hey, Nicole!” she hears a familiar male voice call out for her.

“Robin, it’s fine,” Nicole says. She doesn’t turn around, she just continues to walk. “Sorry if I made it worse for you in there,” she apologizes to him.

“What? No!” Robin protests her apology. He’s now walking next to her, catching his breath. “Champ’s a dick. He doesn’t know what he’s talking about. Well, he does but he’s still a dick,” he huffs. 

“I’m just really sorry,” Nicole apologizes again.

“Look, Nicole,” Robin says. “There’s really no need to be sorry. Guys like Champ will air out everybody’s dirty laundry if they think it’s going to make them look better.”

“Well, it doesn’t,” Nicole huffs. 

“Yeah,” Robin agrees. “It would take a lot to actually make Champ Hardy look good,” he laughs. Nicole gives in an laughs with him. “Do you need a ride?”

“Are you too drunk to drive?” Nicole asks. She finally turns to make eye contact with the boy. 

“No,” Robin tells her. “I actually haven’t been drinking,” he admits. Nicole is a little shocked by the confession. “I promise I’m good,” he grins. Nicole takes him up on his offer and they make their way to his car that’s parked on the side of the street, down the road from the house a little. 

  
  


“Thanks for the ride,” Nicole says as they make their way down the street toward her house.

“It’s really no problem,” Robin says with a smile. “I kinda needed to get out of there,” he shrugs. 

“Is that how all parties go around here?” Nicole asks, receiving a chuckle from the blonde boy. 

“Maybe when Hardy swings by,” Robin says. 

“What’s up with him anyway?” Nicole asks. She doesn’t understand why everyone is so in awe of him if he’s really not a good guy. 

“He just thinks he can do no wrong,” Robin shrugs. “His dad is a lawyer and good friends with Mayor Earp so he thinks he’s important. He’s my co-captain of the football team, I have to be civil,” he groans. 

“You’re a good guy,” Nicole tells him. 

“I just don't want to waste energy being mean to people. That would make me just like him,” Robin explains. 

“Well, from what I see, you’re nothing like him,” Nicole says. She leans her head back on the headrest of the seat she’s sitting in. The world is starting to spin from all the alcohol she has consumed throughout the night. “I see why Chrissy likes you,” she says. She stops herself quickly, but not quickly enough. She realizes what she just said. “I mean-”

“I know she likes me,” he laughs. “She’s really cool. I mean, what’s not to like?”

Nicole thinks for a moment about who they are talking about. Chrissy Nedley. She wasn’t very nice from the start. She’s a little pushy. She can be selfish. But once you get to know her, deep down she’s actually really nice. She’s loyal. She’s outspoken when she needs to be and reserved other times.

“But, you know,” Robin continues, breaking Nicole from her thoughts. “She’s not really my type, I guess.” 

“Have you told her that?” Nicole asks. 

“We haven’t really had a conversation either way, but maybe I owe her one?” Robin suggests. Nicole respects the fact that Robin is willing to do that much for Chrissy. She sees that he’s not trying to hurt her. 

“Maybe,” Nicole tells him. She’s not looking to tell him what to do, but she doesn’t want Chrissy to feel strung along either. 

“Man,” Robin says. “Girls are complicated,” he teases.

“You have no idea,” Nicole groans. She lets out a sigh at the thought of the damage control she’s probably going to have to go through on Monday.    
  
  


—————-

  
  


School the next week wasn’t as smooth as the previous weeks had been. She receives several dirty looks from Champ throughout the day. She brushes them off easily, not paying much attention to him. 

She doesn’t speak much to Waverly and they don’t sit near each other in their classes. She’s not sure who’s fault that is, neither of them really make an effort to talk about anything. She’s still upset with the way the party ended. She’s still confused about the kiss they shared upstairs in Waverly’s bedroom. 

By the time lunch rolls around, she’s pretty much over the day. She plops down at the table where Jeremy is already sitting and she sees the boy start to get up from his seat. “You okay?” She asks, confused about why he is leaving. 

Jeremy doesn’t say anything and just looks back at her. Suddenly she remembers the football game and the upsetting look on Jeremy’s face when she decided not to join him to go drink with Rosita and Wynonna. “Shit,” she huffs. “Jeremy, wait,” she calls out. The boy turns around and looks at her with an annoyed expression on his face. 

“Now you want to sit with me?” He asks. Nicole gives him a sympathetic look. 

“Look, I’m sorry,” Nicole says. “I ran into Rosita and she talked me into hanging out with her,” she explains. “Lame excuse, I know.” Jeremy continues to stand by the table, looking unamused by what Nicole has to say. “It’s not easy being new here and I’m just trying to find where I fit in.” 

“So you’re cool with lunch with me but nothing outside of school?” Jeremy asks. 

“That’s not what I meant,” Nicole protests. 

“Listen, I cant make you be my friend, Nicole, and it’s probably stupid for me to be upset,” Jeremy explains. “But I don’t have a lot of friends around here either, and I thought you’d be different.” 

“I am,” Nicole insists. “I’ve been doing a lot of screwing up lately and I’m really not trying to upset you,” she explains. Jeremy sighs and his face softens. Nicole looks up at him as he takes a seat on the bench across from her. 

“This doesn’t mean I fully forgive you,” Jeremy warns her. “But this is my lunch table,” he tells her. Nicole can’t help but laugh. She gets a small smile out of the boy. 

A moment later, someone else sits down next to Nicole, causing Jeremy to give a strange look. Nicole looks next to her to see Robin starting to eat his lunch. “What’s up, guys?” He asks. 

“Hey,” Nicole says with a smile. 

“Do you need to go back over the science work before your test this afternoon?” Jeremy asks him. Robin shakes his head and takes another bite of food. 

Jeremy continues to look at him confused as he eats half his lunch rather quickly. Robin stops eating and looks back and forth between Jeremy and Nicole, who continue to stare at him. “What?” He asks. “Was someone sitting here?” 

“No, we’re just confused about why you are,” Jeremy says with a slight laugh. “No offense or anything,” he says quickly. 

“Needed a change of scene,” Robin admits, looking over at his usual lunch table where Champ is talking loudly, making some sort of jokes that he seems to find funnier than anyone else. 

“Stay as long as you need,” Nicole says, quickly with a laugh. Jeremy nods in agreement and Robin smiles back at him. Nicole looks back and forth between the two boys, unsure if they realize she sees them smiling at each other. 

  
  


By the end of the day, Nicole packs up her things and leaves the school as soon as she can. She’s not in the mood for interactions with anyone, she doesn’t even stop to talk to Rosita who’s smoking behind the school. She decides to walk to the park for community service. It’s a bit longer than she realizes, but she doesn’t mind the time to herself. 

She manages to spend most of the park cleanup on her own, avoiding much conversation with anyone. She and Waverly don’t make plans to work on their project that week, they both come up with excuses as to why they can’t. All of the excuses don’t seem real, but neither of them fight it.   
  
  


——————

  
  


Every time Nicole sees Waverly throughout the week, her mind can’t help but flash back to the night of Waverly’s birthday. The feeling of Waverly’s lips on her own, her taste, the smell, all of her senses being consumed by the brunette. 

She’s unsure if Waverly told anyone, Chrissy hasn’t indicated knowing anything yet. That was until the end of the week when Chrissy started questioning her on the way to school one morning. 

“Do you like Waverly?” The question comes abruptly, throwing Nicole off. 

“What? Why?” Nicole asks. “We’re friends,” she tells her, more defensively than she intends it to be. 

“Do you like her?” Chrissy repeats. 

“I like her as a friend, Chrissy,” Nicole huffs. “Or whatever we are now,” she tells her. 

“Don’t mess with her,” Chrissy warns. Nicole looks over at her with a confused look on her face. Chrissy pulls into the parking lot of the school, looking for a parking spot. 

“What?” Nicole asks. She’s not sure where any of this is coming from. Chrissy parks the car and turns toward the redhead.

“Look, you can like who you want, I don’t care,” Chrissy says. “But don’t mess with my best friend, she doesn’t need that,” she explains. 

Nicole still isn’t sure what to say. What has Waverly told her? Did she tell her she had feelings for Nicole? 

“Yeah,” Nicole says. “I get it.” 

How is this all on her? Does Chrissy know Waverly kissed her? Does she know she pushed her away when she tried to stick up for her? 

She sighs. The blonde doesn’t question her any further as she climbs out of the car, Nicole follows seconds later. They both push the doors shut behind them and head toward the school. The beeping sound of the car doors locking fill Nicole’s ears as she sees Chrissy walk further away from her until she’s out of sight. 


	8. Chapter 8

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> After a wild week of updates, we’re now back to our usual Saturday programming. Enjoy!

The rest of the month passes rather quickly. Nicole spends more time with Robin and Jeremy, both in and out of school. She sees Rosita from time to time, but hasn’t spent much time with Wynonna since the party. She does her best to avoid as many Earps as possible, finding it better than confronting what went down from the time of the kiss and afterwards. She expects that to blow up in her face at some point, but for now it’s working for her. 

After two weeks, Waverly finally tells her they should keep working on the project. Those interactions are fairly awkward but she gets through them. They don’t do much talking other than about the project and what still needs to be done. Since they’re probably the only group that’s even started it, even at this point, Nicole feels good about where they are. Waverly, on the other hand, spews anxiety about the project and Nicole ends up doing her best to assure her that it’ll all work out in the end. 

“You worry too much,” Nicole says, in a slight teasing tone. 

She’s held back on the flirting with Waverly since the kiss and the fact that they still have yet to talk about it. She’s not sure what Waverly is thinking. She was drunk, maybe she doesn’t remember it. How could she not remember it? It was probably the best kiss of Nicole’s life, and she made out with two different girls that night. She groans internally, using everything in her power not to physically slap herself in the face. She made out with two different girls that night. In her defense, they both kissed her first. 

“I just want it to be perfect,” Waverly tells her. She doesn’t turn to look at Nicole, she continues working seriously on the project.

“Want or need?” Nicole questions. She’s not trying to upset the girl, but she’d like to see her loosen up at some point. Like the night of her birthday, that was the most Nicole has ever seen Waverly let go and honestly, she didn’t think she had it in her. 

“Don’t mock me,” Waverly says, glaring back at the redhead. Nicole immediately puts her hands up in the air in front of her, defensively. 

“I’m just saying,” Nicole says. “We’ve basically been working on this since the first day of school, we have the majority of it completed, I think sometimes it’s okay to just trust that it’ll all work out.” 

“You rely too much on fate,” Waverly huffs. 

“Without it I probably wouldn’t be here,” Nicole replies, softly. Waverly doesn’t speak at first. She looks back at Nicole, this time with a softer expression on her face. She places her hand gently on Nicole’s arm. 

Nicole’s eyes drift toward Waverly’s hand. She thinks for a moment that they’re heading back to where they were before the party, before the kiss. She thinks about the casual flirting, the way she used to feel so comfortable around Waverly, the way she made her feel included. 

Her mind switches to thinking about after the kiss. The way Waverly left her hanging to get tend to Champ. The way she pushed her away when she tried to stick up for her. The way no one stopped her when she left the party. Maybe everyone is on her side until one of their own needs them more. Maybe she doesn’t fit in as much as she thought she did. 

“I think we’re good for today,” Nicole says, pulling her arm away and closing her book. “We can keep going next week.” 

Nicole expects Waverly to protest, but she doesn’t. She nods softly, she almost looks sad. Nicole wants to comfort her but stops herself. She watches as Waverly stands up from her spot at Nicole’s desk and packs her books back into her backpack. 

Nicole lays back on her bed, staring up at the ceiling. She tries hard to not make eye contact with the brunette, hoping she just leaves. 

“Nicole,” Waverly’s voice is soft, but it echoes over the screaming thoughts in Nicole’s head. Nicole lifts her head slightly to make eye contact with the brunette. “I’m sorry,” she says. 

“We don't have to do that,” Nicole says. She sits back up on the end, regain her full view of Waverly’s body. 

“Do what?” The brunette furrows her brow in confusion. 

“The sentimental thing,” Nicole tells her. “We don’t have to be anything more than history partners. I get it.”

“I-” Waverly tries to protest for a moment before she stops. 

Nicole doesn’t know what to say. She feels like she’s caused enough problems for people and isn’t looking to make anything worse. It’s probably for the best. 

“Really,” Nicole tells her. “It’s okay.” 

Waverly stares back at her for a moment. She looks like she wants to speak but she doesn’t. She looks hurt and it’s killing Nicole on the inside, but she doesn’t tell her that. 

When her bedroom door clicks closed as Waverly pulls it shut, Nicole reaches for the closest thing she can find and throws it at the door. It’s only a pillow so it doesn’t have the same effect as actually smashing something, but she figures it’s probably a better choice. She drops back onto the bed, rubbing her face with her hands.    
  
  


—————-

  
  


That Saturday morning, Nicole made plans with the Nedleys to go to the town’s annual fall festival. She regrets telling them that she will go, because it’s the last thing on her list of fun things to do on a Saturday, but apparently it’s important to Randy so she goes along with it. 

Chrissy explains the festival to her as the town’s big bash before people hibernate for the winter. From the sounds of it, the winter in this town lasts longer than anywhere she’s ever been before. Chrissy explains that her dad is being honored in front of the town for his years of dedication to the police force and they would need to be there to support him.

When they arrive at the festival, Nicole looks up at the giant banner that reads, ‘Annual Purgatory Fall Festival.’ She lets out a sigh and watches as Chrissy and her dad make their way into the event. She shoves her hands in her pockets and trails behind them. 

It doesn’t take long before they’re running into Waverly. Nicole should have known that Chrissy would be meeting up with her soon after they arrived. Chrissy and Waverly did most things together. She continues to trail behind, hoping that the brunette won’t notice her, hoping to avoid an awkward interaction that will lead to her giving Chrissy an explanation later. 

“Why are you walking so slow?” Chrissy huffs, looking behind her at Nicole. Nicole groans internally at being called out by the blonde. 

“Tired,” Nicole makes up an excuse as to why she’s not walking with them. 

“You’re tired already?” Waverly asks. “This is fall fest!” 

Nicole forces a laugh like she’s supposed to know what that means. She’s never been that into carnival type events in the past. She’s been to a few, but normally it just means hanging out with friends and riding so many spinning rides until her stomach can’t take it anymore. The difference here is that she doesn’t really have many friends. 

“I forgot this is a big deal around here,” Nicole jokes. 

“Any town event is a big deal in Purgatory,” Chrissy informs her.

“Of course,” Nicole says with a laugh. She looks around her, and spots Jeremy through a crowd near a row of overly priced carnival games. “Hey,” she says. “I’m going to go see Jeremy, catch you guys later?” she asks, hoping that she doesn’t have to spend her entire day with them. 

“Remember dad’s award is at 5,” Chrissy says. Nicole appreciates that she doesn’t try to stop her from leaving. She nods and makes a mental note to make it to the main stage to see Randy receive his award on time. She figures it won’t be too hard to remember because most of the town will probably be in the same place. 

She doesn’t stop to say anything else to the girls before she makes her way through the crowd of people to catch up with Jeremy. “Hey, Jer!” she calls out before she reaches his side. The boy greets her with a smile and a wave. “Finally someone I know,” she sighs.

“Don’t you know most of these people by now?” Jeremy teases. 

“Not many worth hanging out with,” Nicole shrugs. She’s still unsure of how much information the people of the town know about her and she doesn’t really want them in her business. 

“Well, I feel honored,” Jeremy says, pretending to bow in her honor. Nicole laughs and shakes her head at the not. “I’m glad you’re here though,” he says. “I’m supposed to be meeting Robin here and I’m kind of freaking out.” Nicole sees his demeanor switch quickly from calm to anxious. 

“Like a date?” She asks, trying to gauge the situation a little more. 

“I don’t know!” Jeremy groans. “How do you know when a guy asks you to hang out as friends or as more than friends?” He asks. “Well, I mean a person.”

Nicole laughs, appreciating the correction. “Well, what did he say?” She asks. 

“He just said, ‘Hey, you want to maybe go to fall fest with me on Saturday’ and I just agreed,” he tells her, changing his voice to mimic Robin’s. 

“Okay, so it doesn’t not sound like a date,” Nicole tells him. “But I’m not that great of a judge these days,” she trails off. 

“Still no luck with Waverly?” Jeremy asks. She hasn’t talked much about what happened during Waverly’s birthday party, except with Jeremy. She hasn’t even told Rosita in fear that it’ll get back to Wynonna and the older Earp will come kill her in her sleep. 

“Yeah,” Nicole sighs. “Nothing with Waverly,” she tells him. She tries not to seem too upset over it. 

“What about Waverly?” A familiar voice catches Nicole off guard. She cringes when she realizes who it is, hoping she didn’t overhear the entire conversation. “Haught stuff, you been avoiding me?” Wynonna calls out, causing Nicole to turn around and face the brunette. 

“No,” she says, softly. Truth is, she hasn’t gone out of her way to talk to Wynonna, but she also hasn’t seen much of her over the past month. She figures the less time she spends with her, the less she has to admit that there might be something going on between her and her sister, whatever that may be. 

“Relax, Red, I’m just teasing,” Wynonna laughs, playfully pushing her shoulder. Nicole laughs uncomfortably, finally eyeing the other girl that Wynonna is standing with. “Oh, sorry,” Wynonna says. “This is my older sister, Willa.” 

Nicole puts her hand out for Willa to shake, but she leaves her hanging. She smiles at the oldest Earp, unsure of what else to do, as she lowers her unshaken hand back down to her side. “Nice to meet you,” Nicole says.

Willa just smiles back at her. Her smile isn’t something Nicole would consider to be friendly. She’s unsure how this woman can be related to Wynonna and Waverly. Sure, Wynonna has her moments, but she’s not really someone Nicole would ever consider to be unfriendly. She just has her own way of showing affection. Nicole is unsure how to continue the conversation. She looks over at Jeremy, who is luckily still standing by her side. 

“Haught’s new here,” Wynonna explains. “She lives with Nedley, but other than that she’s cool,” the brunette teases. 

“Ah,” Willa finally speaks. “The foster kid.” Nicole wishes she just stayed mute until she was able to get away. She cringes and nods. 

“That’s me,” she says. She catches Wynonna’s sympathetic eye. 

“Willa, I thought we were working on not being a dick in public,” Wynonna retorts. A smile forms on Nicole’s mouth, she can’t help but laugh at the disgusted look on Willa’s face. “Sorry, Haught, Willa forgets manners.” 

“Wynonna forgets her place,” Willa warns. Nicole feels more uncomfortable and looks around her for an escape. 

Jeremy must have felt the tension when he finally says, “Hey, I forgot I was going to meet Robin by the tilt a whirl, you want to join me?” 

Nicole nods. “Catch you later, Wynonna,” she says before turning to walk away from the pair, but not before catching the dirty look Wynonna gives Willa which makes Nicole happy to see the brunette stick up for her. 

“She’s pleasant,” Nicole says to Jeremy when they’re finally far enough away for neither Earp sister to hear. 

Jeremy laughs. “She’s kind of the worst,” he tells her. “Don’t pay any mind to her.” 

“Where does she come from? The other two are nothing like that,” Nicole asks, then she thinks about her encounter with Ward Earp and figures out the answer to her own question. 

“Thankfully,” Jeremy laughs. “Oh man, he’s here,” he suddenly panics. Nicole watches as Jeremy stops in his tracks. She sees Robin smile from across the way, offering them a friendly wave. 

“You got this, Jer,” Nicole tells him, nudging him softly with her elbow. 

“Maybe I can just tell him I’m not feeling well,” Jeremy says, quickly. “Make you can make up a story?” 

“Relax, dude,” Nicole says. She places a hand on his shoulder.

“I’m trying!” Jeremy groans. Nicole laughs. He doesn’t seem to be trying very hard. “It’s not everyday you get asked on a maybe kind of date with the quarterback of the football team!” 

“Yeah,” Nicole agrees. “I mean, that’s never happened to me,” she teases. Jeremy shoots her a look. Nicole realizes they have been standing in the same spot, staring in Robin’s direction for a few moments now. Robin has almost made his way over to them. “Now or never,” Nicole says, gently pushing Jeremy forward. 

“Hey guys!” Robin says with a smile. Nicole smiles back at the boy and smiles. He looks different than he does in school. During school, he mostly wears jeans and either a football tee shirt or his jersey. Today he has on a pair of skinny legged khakis, and a striped shirt underneath a jean jacket. He walks over to them with his hands in the pockets of his jacket. Nicole glances over at Jeremy, who’s eyes seem to be bulging, checking the other boy out. 

They spend the next hour or so walking around the festival ith Robin. He manages to get them on a couple of rides, despite Jeremy’s protest. Nicole assumes he isn’t the kind of guy to want to ride a bunch of unsafe looking carnival rides, but she figures he does it for Robin. 

After riding a few more rides, they migrate over to the carnival games where Robin decides to show off some of his skills, throwing footballs through hoops and darts at balloons. 

“What’s up nerds?” Rosita says as she walks up to the three of them. 

“Way to steal Wynonna’s insults,” Nicole laughs as she turns to see the girl with a grin on her face walking up to her. Nicole is leaning up against the side of one of the carnival game displays, watching Robin.

“I’m surprised you're not up Chrissy and Waverly’s ass today,” Rosita teases, nudging Nicole in the arm. 

“I called dibs,” Jeremy says, quickly. Nicole breathes a sigh of relief when he says that, taking the attention off of her having to actually come up with a real answer. 

“I have more than one friend,” Nicole tells her. “I know it’s probably a shock,” she teases.

“It is,” Rosita says, pretending to be surprised. 

“Ha ha,” Nicole mocks. “I’m surprised you’re not up Wynonna’s ass,” she teases. 

“I haven’t seen her yet,” Rosita tells her. She looks around her a little, most likely seeing if she can find the older Earp.

“She was with Willa around here somewhere,” Nicole tells her. She’s unsure how Rosita feels about Willa, so she doesn’t make it a point to say any more about it. 

“Oh, yikes,” Rosita spits. “Did you have that pleasure?” she asks, sarcastically, indiciating to Nicole that Rosita and Willa are not friends. Nicole lets out a laugh and nods. “Did she say something to you?”

“She called me a foster kid,” Nicole tells her. “I mean, she’s not wrong. But Wynonna looked pretty embarrassed,” she says. “I didn’t think that girl gets embarrassed.”

“Only by her family,” Rosita tells her. She laughs a little. “That family is a lot more complicated than they come off,” she explains. “But that’s a story for another time. Maybe one when we’re not surrounded by the entire town,” she gestures around them.

Nicole laughs. “Good call.”

“So are you going to win me one of these obnoxious stuffed animals, or what?” Rosita asks, gesturing toward the games. Nicole internally groans at the thought of it, but gives in more easily than she thought she would. She blames boredom. 

She scans the games and quickly decides to take a shot at the basketball game. Make the ball in the hoop, win a prize. Make three in a row, win a bigger prize. Seems easy enough. Her first three shots go in easily. Her friends seem impressed, making her want to continue. 

“How’d you get so good at this?” Rosita asks as Nicole shoots the basketball toward the hoop. Nicole laughs and shakes her head as the ball swooshes through the net. 

“Used to play a little ball,” Nicole shrugs. 

“Oh, okay,” Rosita laughs. “I didn’t know we had our very own fresh prince,” she teases. Nicole gives her a confused look. “You know, shooting some b-ball outside of the school?” Rosita continues, this time singing. “Never mind,” she scoffs. 

Nicole laughs and shoots the second ball toward the hoop, nothing but net. “One more and you can pick whatever prize you want,” she tells Rosita. She isn’t much for possessions, she’s really just in it for the thrill of winning. 

When the person working the game asks her what prize she wants, she leans over to Rosita and tells her to choose. Rosita seems more excited that she expects, causing Nicole to laugh. She watches as the brunette carefully scans the prizes before pointing to one. 

When the man hands it to her, Nicole notices Waverly and Chrissy are not too far away at another game. She makes brief eye contact with Waverly, who is watching Rosita collect the prize that Nicole just won. If she’s not mistaken, she senses slight jealousy.

She wins another prize, giving it to Rosita, before they make their way to another area of the festival. She almost forgets to check the time when she realizes that most of the people seem to be migrating toward a large stage in the center of the event. She tells her friends she needs to go find Chrissy and quickly makes her way in the direction of everyone else. She scans the crowd that is already beginning to build in front of the stage. She sees Chrissy and squeezes her way between people to join her. 

“Hey, there you are,” Chrissy says as Nicole makes it to her side. 

“Wouldn’t miss it,” Nicole says. She smiles at the blonde as they take their seats in the front row, next to Randy. 

The ceremony is longer than Nicole expected. She wasn’t aware of how long Mayor Earp could talk. He talks about the town, mentioning the improvements they’ve made in the area, recognizing a few other people for various things before announcing Randy’s award. Nicole finds herself zoning out for most of the Mayor’s speech. She looks down the line of chairs to see the rest of the Earp family sitting in seats, listening attentively to every word he speaks. 

Her eyes narrow in on Waverly. She’s sitting with her legs crossed and her hands places in her lap. Her hair falls perfectly down her shoulders and back. The sunlight shines on her face, lighting it up in just the right way. 

“Is there something going on with you and Waverly?” Chrissy whispers, breaking Nicole out of her trance that the brunette seems to have over her. 

“What? No. Why?” she asks, quickly, bringing her attention back to Chrissy.

“Because before I thought you liked her. Then you’ve barely spoken to her in a month,” Chrissy says. “And you’re weird around her. And you were just staring at her,” she lists off reasons for her accusations. 

“We just hung out yesterday,” Nicole reminds her. 

“You didn’t hang out,” Chrissy says. “You worked on your project.”

“Same thing,” Nicole shrugs. She turns her attention toward the stage when Randy is finally called up to say a few words. 

“Do you still like her?” Chrissy continues to whisper. Nicole sighs, hoping the questions will somehow just stop.

“She’s my friend. I think,” Nicole tells her. Honestly, she doesn't know where Waverly currently fits into her life, but she’s constantly on her mind. 

“That’s not what I asked,” Chrissy says. 

“Why are you asking?” Nicole finally questions. 

“I’m just protecting my best friend,” the blonde says. Nicole looks confused at first. Protecting her from what? She doesn’t think she’s done anything wrong and she especially hasn’t done anything to put her best friend in harm's way. 

“Oh yeah, of course,” is all Nicole can think to say. 

“Just don’t mess with her,” Chrissy warns her again. Nicole groans internally. They’ve already been over this. 

“I’m not messing with her,” Nicole tells her again. 

“I’m just saying,” Chrissy says. 

Nicole rubs her face with her hands and turns her attention back to the stage. She tries not to focus on what Chrissy just said to her. Why is she questioning her again? Has Waverly said anything? Maybe she did tell her that they kissed. Did Waverly tell Chrissy that she likes Nicole?

She has trouble focusing on Randy’s speech, but knows it’s over when the crowd starts to cheer. She stands along with the rest of the town, clapping along with them. She congratulates Randy when he returns back from the stage and he thanks her for being there. 

As the town people start to disperse from the stage area and back to their carnival activities, Nicole hears whispers throughout the crowd, some hard to tune out. Some talk about Randy Nedley giving back to charity by bringing her into his house. Others accuse him of trying to gain points with the town by this act of kindness. Some talk about rumors they’ve heard about Nicole’s life before she arrived in Purgatory. 

She hears whispers about probation, vandalism even theft and attempted murder, which she finds more comical than offensive. With the occasional fist fight here and there, Nicole has never intentionally tried to hurt anyone in her life, so the thought of people thinking she tried to murder someone was entertaining to say the least. She wasn’t interested in impressing these people as a whole, she knows it’s not worth trying. 

She tries to make her way through the crowd quickly, catching back up with Rosita, Jeremy and Robin, who were all sitting together in seats in the back. “So you ready for the Ferris Wheel?” Rosita asks when Nicole makes her way up to them.

“Um, no,” Nicole dismisses that idea real fast. 

“Why not?” the other girl whines. “It’s fun!”

“It’s better at night,” Robin chimes in. 

“Okay, so when the sun goes down then,” Rosita says. 

“No,” Nicole repeats. One thing she’s not a fan of is heights. Although she has been on a Ferris Wheel in the past, it usually takes a lot for her to say ‘yes’. 

Rosita groans, making Nicole laugh. The group continues to wander around the carnival for the next couple of hours. Nicole is surprised that she’s able to make it most of the day without becoming too bored out of her mind. It helps that Robin, Jeremy and Rosita are there to keep her entertained. She watches as Jeremy finally loosens up around Robin, she thinks he's probably still unsure whether or not it’s a date, but they both seem pretty comfortable around each other. 

The sun starts to go down and Rosita starts up again with trying to get Nicole on the Ferris Wheel. Nicole continues to refuse, attempting to change the subject every time. “Why do you want me on the Ferris wheel so bad?” Nicole finally asks. 

“It’s fun!” Rosita whines, causing the redhead to laugh. 

“Did someone say it’s time for the Ferris wheel?” Robin chimes back in again.

“Ugh, no,” Nicole huffs as she turns around to face Robin and Jeremy. “You guys go on it with Rosita, count me out,” she laughs. 

“You can’t do three people in one seat!” Rosita protests. 

“Looks like someone’s going solo!” Nicole says, throwing her hands up in the air. She starts to walk further away from the group.

“Don’t be a chicken!” Rosita huffs, reaching her hand out for Nicole, pulling her back. Nicole pauses and looks up at the Ferris wheel that is now lit up against the night sky.    
  


_ “Don’t be a chicken!”  _

She hears the voice of her the last person she rode a Ferris Wheel with echoing in her head. She thinks back to the last carnival they went to together, she feels for a moment like she’s back there again. The blonde begs her to go on the Ferris Wheel and Nicole continues to refuse. 

_ “You know I don't do heights,” Nicole tells her, unable to peel her eyes from the machine. It looks like the people are high enough up to reach the clouds.  _

_ “What if I do them with you?” The blonde tries to reason with her. “Look, I’ll be right there with you, I’ll hold your hand, you have nothing to worry about!”  _

_ “You say that now until something goes wrong!” Nicole tells her. “You know how old these stupid rides are?”  _

_ “Come on!” The girl groans. “You want to forever be known as a chicken?” She asks.  _

_ “If it means I get to keep my life, then sure,” Nicole shrugs. She becomes mesmerized for a moment by the flashing lights and the swirling motion of the ride.  _   
  


“Nicole! Don’t be a chicken!” a voice calls out to her. “Nicole?” Rosita asks, breaking her from her thoughts. 

Nicole blinks a few times, bringing herself back to reality. She looks over at her friends. Jeremy looks back at her and then at Robin. He seems to be silently begging her to go so he can ride it with Robin. She looks at Rosita, pleading with her eyes. 

“Okay, fine, let’s do it,” she sighs. She knows she's about to regret this. 

Jeremy and Robin stand in line in front of Rosita and Nicole. The stand close together, talking amongst themselves. Nicole watches the ride as it continuously goes around and around. She grows more nervous and considers ditching Rosita at the last minute, not giving her enough time to stop her. 

When it comes time, Jeremy and Robin climb quickly into one of the carts before it quickly takes them into the air. It’s time for Rosita and Nicole to climb on. She takes a deep breath in, letting it out slowly before she slides into the seat. She closes her eyes, bracing herself for the ascend to the top.

As she feels the ride start to move, she opens her eyes to see Rosita standing on the ground, becoming further out of sight. Confused, she looks to the side of her, seeing hands grasping the bar in front of them. She looks up quickly to see Waverly is sitting next to her, rather than Rosita. 

“What the?” Nicole asks. 

“Hey,” Waverly says softly. 

Hey. That’s all she’s got? Nicole is petrified on this ride and the last person she expected to be sitting next to her is now sitting next to her. 

As the ride makes it’s way back around and toward the ground, Nicole gives Rosita a warning look only to receive a shrug from the other girl. She sees her fingers start to turn white from her grasp on the bar in front of her. 

“You okay?” Waverly asks, looking her up and down. 

“I don’t really do heights,” Nicole admits. She finds herself staring at the ground as they make their way back toward the sky. 

“Then what are you doing on a Ferris Wheel?” Waverly asks.

“Rosita talked me into it. She didn’t know,” Nicole explains. “So I’m going to need you to keep talking to me, if you can,” she tells her. She finally peels her eyes off of the ground and makes eye contact with Waverly. 

“That’s why I’m here,” Waerly tells her. 

“So I can't run away? Clever,” Nicole huffs. She is distracted by the fact that she hates Ferris Wheels, but she doesn’t forget the reason she’s been avoiding Waverly. 

“You said something to me yesterday that I don’t think is fair,” Waverly explains. Nicole tries to focus on her breathing for a moment, keeping it as steady as possible. 

“What’s that?” Nicole asks. She tries to think back to the conversation she had the day before with Waverly, but struggles to remember. 

“You told me we don’t have to be anything more than history partners,” Waverly explains. 

“Why is that not fair?” Nicole asks. She cringes as the ride speeds up, making its way toward the ground again. She feels Waverly’s arm wrap around the back of her. It’s comforting. 

“You didn’t give me a choice,” Waverly says. “You just made up my mind for me and you’ve been running away ever since.” 

“Oh,” is all Nicole says. She never thought of it that way. She was trying to give Waverly an out, a reason not to have to feel guilty for not returning feelings toward Nicole. 

“We were friends, Nicole. At least I thought we were. And now we’re just history partners?” Waverly says. Her tone displays frustration and a little sadness. 

“I just thought it would be easier,” Nicole tells her.

“For who?” Waverly asks, quickly. 

“Both of us?” Nicole takes a deep breath in again as the ride continues to make circles from the ground to the sky and back. She’s sure Waverly feels her fear because she pulls her a little tighter. 

“How about you let me tell you what I want?” Waverly suggests. 

“I’d love to know what you want Waverly because I’ve been a little confused lately,” Nicole admits. She makes eye contact with the brunette again. 

“I know. And that’s not fair to you,” Waverly admits. “It’s just not that easy,” she says. “I try to go for what I want, but there’s so many other factors, so many other people.”

“It shouldn’t be about other people,” Nicole says. “What you want is what you want, not what everyone else wants.”

“That’s a lot easier said than done,” Waverly explains. “You don’t understand, this is the world I grew up in, I can’t just go against everything they say.” 

“This isn’t real,” Nicole tells her. “It’s not reality. Not everyone is made of money. Not everything is picture perfect,” she says. 

“Maybe everyone’s perception of perfection is different,” Waverly argues. 

“Maybe so,” Nicole agrees. “But can you honestly tell me this is yours?” She gestures over the festival as they reach the top, able to see as far as the event goes. 

Waverly pauses for a moment. She doesn’t answer. Nicole feels her sink a little further in the seat next to her. She doesn’t let up on the grasp she has on her back. Their knees brush. She forgets for a moment how high in the sky they are. She looks back at the brunette and tucks a loose strand of hair behind her ear. 

“Tell me what your perfect world looks like,” Waverly finally says, breaking the silence of the moment. 

Nicole thinks for a moment before speaking. The Ferris Wheel is now slowing down with them at the top. She grips the bar tighter, if that’s even possible. “One with less heartbreak?”

“Maybe heartbreak is what makes us real,” Waverly says, her hazel eyes piercing into Nicole’s soul. 

“Then I must be extremely real,” Nicole says with a small laugh. 

“You are.” Nicole feels Waverly’s fingers brush against her own before they lace between each other. She’s able to loosen her grip on the bar for a moment to allow Waverly’s fingers to fit comfortably. Her heart beats harder in her chest, not just because of her fear of heights. They continue to sit in silence, looking back at each other until they’re lowered safely to the ground. The bar loosens and they let go of each other’s hand. 

Nicole turns to face forward as they step off of the ride. The first face she sees is that of Waverly’s father, waiting angrily by the edge of the entrance. She sees Waverly cringe at the sight. She catches up to him and he pulls her by the arm as they walk away. Anger boils within Nicole at the sight. They’re not far enough away before Ward starts his lecture, giving Nicole an earful she never asked for. 

“What the hell was that?” Ward barks at his youngest daughter. 

“It wasn’t anything, dad,” Waverly tells him. “She’s my friend, it was a Ferris Wheel ride.” 

“You have plenty of friends, Waverly,” Ward huffs. “You don’t need to be fraternizing with people like her.” 

Nicole is immediately hurt when Waverly doesn’t say anything at first. What does she expect? It’s her father, she’s not going to go against her father, regardless of whether or not he’s an ass or not. Why does she expect her to be much different than anyone else? 

Probably because she knows she is. 

Nicole doesn’t wait to see what Waverly says next. She decides she’s had enough and heads for the parking lot. She’s unsure how she will get home, but she knows she doesn’t want to be there.

“Nicole, stop!” Waverly’s voice comes from behind her but she doesn’t stop until she calls for her again. 

“No, Waverly. Don’t,” Nicole says. She stops in her tracks and turns to face the brunette. “I get it, I’m never going to belong here. I’m never going to be good enough!”

“You know that’s not true, Nicole!” Waverly tells back. 

“It’s what they all think,” Nicole argues, she gestures back toward the festival. 

“What happened to them not mattering?” Waverly asks. 

“They apparently matter to you,” Nicole argues. “It’s fine, Waverly. I’ll probably be gone in a few months and then you can go back to your life as if I never existed,” she spits. 

“What do you mean you’ll be gone?” Waverly asks. 

“That’s how my life works. Don’t you get it?” Nicole asks. “I don’t get to have roots. I don’t get to even pretend I fit in with anyone. I don’t have time to. I go somewhere and someone changes their mind. Or I screw up and I’m gone again. It’s better this way,” she assures her. 

“And you’re just going to accept that?” Waverly asks, frustration increasing. 

“What else is there to do? That’s the way my life is. Your life is here, with these people and these parties. Your life is set for you but so is mine. We’re from different worlds,” Nicole says, she sounds defeated. 

“I call bullshit,” Waverly says in a serious tone. 

“Huh?” Nicole asks. 

“I call bullshit,” Waverly repeats. “You’re just going to sit there and accept that? Like it’s your only option in life? To screw up? You can make your own choices too you know? You sit here and preach at me telling me I’m from this world that isn’t even real. What about the real you, Nicole? You put on this front all the time and never actually let anyone in!” She yells. “How far is that actually going to get you?” 

“It’s better that way,” Nicole argues. “You don’t let people in, you don’t get hurt,” she says with a shrug. 

“But it’s not real, right?” Waverly argues. 

“It works for you, why can’t it work for me?” Nicole spits back at her. 

“Screw you, Nicole. You can’t just tear other people down because you don’t get what you want!” Waverly yells. Nicole can see the anger brewing inside the brunette. 

“Like you have any idea about what I want,” Nicole huffs. She tries to turn around to walk away, but Waverly continues. 

“Sure, yeah, whatever,” Waverly huffs back at her. 

“You kissed me, remember?” Nicole reminds her as she turns back toward the brunette. 

“We were drunk,” Waverly argues. Nicole cringes at the thought that she’s about to blame alcohol for this mess. 

“So you only make out with girls when you’re drunk?” Nicole asks. 

“You’re one to talk,” Waverly huffs. “You were literally making out with Shae two hours before that!”

“We were drunk,” Nicole mocks. 

“Good one, Nicole,” Waverly huffs. She rolls her eyes at the redhead. 

“Why does it even matter what I want?” Nicole finally asks. 

“Because you matter too,” Waverly tells her. 

“Look, I’ve made it almost eighteen years not really mattering to anyone…” Nicole trails off. 

“Don’t do that!” Waverly groans. Her tone becoming increasingly louder. 

“Do what?” Nicole asks. 

“You infuriate me sometimes,” the brunette huffs and dramatically throws her hands in the air for a moment before letting them drop back to her sides. 

“I infuriate you?” Nicole asks. “Waverly, you could have everything you could ever imagine in life. You could have anyone you want, yet you continue to waste your time on someone like me?” She finally asks. 

“You matter to people, Nicole,” the brunette tells her. 

“That doesn’t answer my question,” Nicole says. She takes a deep breath, letting it out slowly in attempts to calm herself down. 

“You matter to me. You’re my friend and I like having you around,” Waverly answers.

“Friends, right,” Nicole says. It’s not exactly what she wants to hear. She’s unsure how they can go back to being just friends without things being weird. She’s unsure how Waverly can act like nothing happened. How she can act like she didn’t feel anything. She nods and agrees anyway. 


	9. Chapter 9

"So let me get this straight, you can’t just take me back to the city with you?" Nicole asks the man sitting in front of her at the diner, as she takes a bite of her fries that are on the plate in front of her.

"No," the man says, plainly.

"Okay, so can you at least get me out of this camping trip?" Nicole asks. With the school's fall camping trip quickly approaching and things still being weird between her and Waverly, the last place Nicole really wants to be is anywhere where things can become more awkward than they already are.

“No,” he repeats. 

“What are you good for then?” Nicole scoffs. “I thought we were friends.”

“I’m your probation officer,” the man laughs. 

“Close enough,” Nicole groans. 

“Do you want to tell me why you don’t want to go?” Dolls asks. Nicole knew he wouldn’t let her get away with not giving him more details. 

“These people suck, Dolls,” Nicole tells him. She’s given it a shot. She’s even made some friends, but she doesn’t see this as a permanent residence and doesn’t want to continue wasting her time. 

“That’s not what it was like last time I was here,” Dolls reminds her. Sure the last time he had stopped by, she told him she was finding it to be not as bad as she thought. The last time he was around, things weren’t weird between her and Waverly. 

“Well, things change,” Nicole huffs. She takes a sip from the water on that’s on the table in front of her. 

“What’s her name?” the man asks. 

Nicole glares back at him. “What makes you think it’s a her?” she questions. She groans internally at the through of her probation officer having her completely figured out.

“Is it a he?” Dolls questions. She knows very well that he’s just joking with her. 

“What makes you think it’s a person? Nicole asks. “Can’t I just not want to go?” she continues to question. “Look, I’ll do anything. I’ll add more time to my community service. Don’t make me spend an entire weekend with these people somewhere in the woods!” she pleads with the man. 

Dolls continues to deny any request that Nicole makes to get out of going on the school camping trip. She focuses unnecessary anger toward the man about the situation, but finally relaxes, realizing she’s just going to have to suck it up and go through with it. At least she’ll have Jeremy, Robin and Rosita there with her. How bad can it be?

  
  
  


———————

  
  
  


The morning of the camping trip, Nicole is in her room playing her guitar. Her bag is half packed and sitting open on her bed. She figures she’ll just throw some clothes together when it’s almost time to leave. She’s still not feeling great about having to spend the weekend with the kids in her class, so there’s not much urgency to get ready. There’s a knock on her door and she calls out, letting the person know it’s open. Chrissy appears in the doorway seconds later. Nicole doesn’t stop playing, but she looks up to see who it is.

“You sound pretty good,” Chrissy says, gesturing toward the guitar. “A little emo,” she teases. 

“Secondhand Serenade,” Nicole tells her with a laugh. “My go to,” she laughs. She sets the guitar down on the bed next to her to give the blonde her full attention.

“You should really get an amp,” Chrissy says. “It would sound so much better.” Nicole laughs a little at the thought. She knows Chrissy doesn’t mean anything by it, but she’s never been able to just go out and buy whatever she wants, whenever she wants. 

“Maybe someday,” Nicole shrugs. “Did you need something?” she asks, looking for the reason for the visit.

“Dad’s asking if you’re almost ready to head up to the school,” she says. Nicole turns around and looks at her duffle bag, wishing it would just pack itself. She glances at the clock and realizes she’s pushing it on time a little. 

“Um,” she says. “Ten minutes?” she asks. She stands up from the bed and shoves some more clothes into the bag. Chrissy looks down at her bag, then up at her, giving her a slightly disgusted look.

“Yeah,” Chrissy says, looking back at the bag before turning to leave the room. Nicole gives her bag a quick once over before throwing on a hoodie and heading downstairs to meet up with Randy and Chrissy. 

  
  


When they arrive at the school, the parking lot is already full of other cars. Chrissy groans at the fact that they’re running late and blames Nicole. Nicole shakes her head at the blonde, telling her that they’re all going to the same place and the bus wasn’t going to leave without them. Chrissy huffs and moves quickly toward the bus. Nicole laughs and thanks Randy for the ride before following in the direction that Chrissy just went in. 

By the time she makes it on the bus, Nicole scans the seats for an empty spot. She sees Chrissy, who is sitting next to Waverly, by the window. She’s completely ignored by the blonde, but Waverly offers her a smile and a wave. She smiles back and continues scanning the rest of the seats, finding Rosita already sitting next to the window with no one else next to her. The bruette smiles up at her and she slides into the seat next to the aisle, placing her backpack in her lap.

“Man, where have you been?” Rosita asks. “I didn’t think you were coming for a minute there!” she laughs. 

“Trust me,” Nicole huffs. “I tried to get out of it,” she says. She’s not really into class bonding with a class that she barely talks to. Rosita laughs at the redhead. Nicole is unsure if Rosita realizes how serious she’s being.

“At least we have each other,” Rosita laughs, nudging the redhead in the arm.

“Thank god for that,” Nicole sighs, causing Rosita to laugh again. 

It doesn’t take long before Rosita is asleep on the bus. Nicole looks over to see her leaning up against the bus window, with her head back on the seat. She reaches into her backpack and pulls out a pair of headphones, plugging them into her phone and placing them in her ears. 

She hears someone call out across the bus and other loud talking. She leans in toward the aisle of the bus, to see some of her classmates standing in the aisle, others standing near their seats, talking loudly and laughing. She rolls her eyes at the obnoxious football players trying to show off for some of the girls. She sees Waverly sitting near the aisle, a few rows up from her. She catches a quick glimpse of the brunette’s smile before she tucks herself back into her seat and turns on her music. She closes her eyes, hoping the time will go by quickly.

  
  


She’s about half way through her playlist when she feels the bus slowly down to make a turn. She looks to her right to see Rosita shifting in her sleep. Nicole looks past her to see the bus driving into the camp. She doesn’t know what to expect when they arrive. She’s never been camping before. The only thing she’s heard about the trip is that it’s at a summer camp that’s not typically used in the fall and it’s the trip everyone looks forward to as a senior. 

It looks like a pretty nice place, something she should probably have expected. It’s surrounded by hills and trees. Lots of trees. They drive by a volleyball net, some basketball courts and a tennis court. There’s a dock that leads out to a lake with some boats and a buoyed off swimming area, even though it’s definitely too cold to swim. 

As they continue driving, Nicole takes notice of the cabins lined up on the other side of the property. There’s a few fire pits and picnic tables nearby the cabin areas. The thought of sitting by a fire under the stars makes her think, for a short moment, that she might enjoy it here. 

As students pile off the bus, they’re given their cabin assignments. As Nicole exits the bus, she’s told she’s in cabin 4. She’s happy to hear Rosita receive the same cabin number and the pair gather their bags and head for their cabin. “I hope you’re good with the top bunk,” Rosita tells her as they walk through the door. Nicole laughs.

“Whatever,” she says as she fully enters the cabin to see Chrissy, Waverly and two other classmates of theirs already occupying the cabin. She internally groans at the thought that she has to sleep feet away from Waverly. Rosita must have seen the uneasy look on her face because she taps her on the arm to gain her attention. 

“Unless you just want to shack up in one bed,” she says with a wink. Nicole laughs and shakes her head at the girl as she tosses her backpack up to the top bunk above Rosita’s head. She steals a glance at Waverly just in time to see the brunette rolling her eyes at Rosita. 

“Shut up,” she huffs at Rosita. While she enjoys the fact that Waverly gets jealous over the two of them, she still feels bad for upsetting her. Rosita winks at her again and taps her on the ass. “Yeah,” Nicole says. “I’m going to go explore.” She tosses her duffle bag in one of the cubbies in the cabin and grabs a sketchbook out of her backpack before she heads out the door.

Nicole spends the next couple of hours checking out the camp. She’s unsure if she’s supposed to be wandering around alone, but she enjoys the quiet enough not to care. After a while, Rosita catches up to her and joins her on her walk.

“Man, I thought you wanted to hang out with me,” Rosita whines. 

“Are you going to keep trying to make Waverly jealous?” Nicole asks.

“Do you think it’s working?” Rosita asks. Nicole stops walking and stares back at her, giving her a warning look. “What?” Rosita asks as if she’s not doing anything wrong.

“You don’t have to do that, you know?” Nicole huffs. 

“Well, at least you know she’s interested,” Rosita shrugs. Nicole rolls her eyes at the other girl and continues walking. “Okay,” Rosita huffs. “I’m sorry!” she calls after her. 

“I don’t need to piss her off more than I already have,” Nicole tells her. “I just want to get through this weekend without making anything worse. It’s bad enough I have to sleep across from her now!” 

“Okay, okay,” Rosita says, putting her hands up in front of her. “I’ll stop,” she promises. “But also, I got Robin and Jeremy to switch into our cabin so you at least have more people on your side.” 

“Wait, really?” Nicole asks. 

Rosita nods. “Figured you’d feel better having your friends nearby,” she says. “Especially if you have to sleep across from Waverly all weekend,” she teases.

“Thank you,” Nicole says, turning back toward the dark haired girl. “So what are you up to?” she asks. 

“Looking for you,” Rosita says. “I guess we’re supposed to eat dinner soon,” she tells her. Nicole nods and the pair makes their way back over to where the rest of the class is. 

  
  


Nicole is impressed by the food at the camp, it’s even better than the school food. Not that the school food is the best, but it’s still better than anything she’s ever had in school. She sits with Rosita, Jeremy and Robin for dinner. She notices Robin and Jeremy have been closer than ever since the fall carnival. Jeremy hasn’t told her if there have been any changes in their relationship, but she still finds them adorable anyway. She notices that Chrissy spends less time trying to gain Robin’s attention. She hasn’t asked him if he’s talked to her yet, but she assumes it’s because of what Champ said at the party.

She looks across the way to see Waverly and Chrissy sitting at the next table over. A couple of the football players sit with them at the table. She tries not to look too much in fear of making eye contact with Champ. She hasn’t talked to him since the party and she’s still unsure about anything going on between him and Waverly. Every once in awhile she sees him try to put his arm around her, but she quickly pushes it away, which makes Nicole smile. 

After dinner, the plan is to hang out until it’s dark enough to have fires in the fire pits outside. Nicole takes advantage of this time to sit outside at a picnic table, drawing in her sketchbook. The table she finds is far enough away from the group where she can have some privacy, but close enough to be able to observe what’s going on.

“What are you drawing?” Waverly asks as she comes up behind Nicole. The redhead turns her head as Waverly takes a seat next to her on the bench of the picnic table. This is the first time the brunette has really tried to talk to her. She misses spending time with her. 

“Nature,” she replies, gesturing toward her sketchbook. She doesn’t try to cover up the drawing, she just looks back toward the book and continues putting graphite to paper. 

“Can I see?” Waverly asks softly. She straddles the bench next to where Nicole is sitting and scoots her body closer to the redhead until their knees are touching under the table. 

“Uh, sure,” Nicole says. She’s never quick to allow someone else to see her drawings, but she continues to have a soft spot for Waverly, regardless of what has and has not happened between the two of them. She slides the book over toward Waverly, allowing her to fully see the drawing. 

“Wow, Nicole, this is really good!” Waverly tells her. Nicole watches her as she studies the drawing, eyes tracing each line. 

“Thanks,” Nicole says with a smile. She’s not used to getting feedback on her drawings, but it’s nice to hear it. 

“Do you still draw people?” Waverly asks as she slides the sketchbook back over to Nicole. 

“I do,” Nicole says, taking the book back and continuing to draw a little more. She can feel the brunette watching her as she makes marks on the page. 

“Have you drawn me?” Waverly asks. Nicole stops drawing. She’s not sure what to say. Of course she’s drawn Waverly. There are days where she can’t stop drawing her, but she’s afraid to tell her that.   
  


“I have, yeah,” she says, turning her head to gauge the brunette’s reaction to her confession. Waverly’s face lights up. 

“Can I see?” she boldly asks. 

“Oh, um,” Nicole isn’t sure why she didn’t expect Waverly to ask her to see the drawings of herself. She suddenly feels exposed and vulnerable. 

“I’m sorry if I’m being too forward,” Waverly says, sheepishly. 

“No, no,” Nicole says. “It’s okay. I’m just not used to showing my drawings to a lot of people.”

“Have you shown them to Rosita?” Waverly asks. Nicole looks at her confused for a moment, unsure as to why she’s being asked that. 

“No,” Nicole says. “We don’t really talk about my drawings,” she tells her. 

“Oh,” Waverly says. She seems a little confused still. 

“Why?” Nicole asks.

“Aren’t you guys like,” Waverly starts. Nicole’s eyes widen when she realizes what the brunette is about to ask. “Together?” Nicole breaks out into laughter.

“What?!” Nicole asks, still laughing. “No,” she says. “We’re just friends.”

“Oh, I, uh,” Waverly stutters. She looks slightly embarrassed. 

“Hey,” Nicole says, placing her hand on Waverly’s arm. It feels like electricity. “It’s okay, I know she says a lot of suggestive things,” she shrugs. “But we’re just friends.”

“Okay,” Waverly says. Nicole can’t tell, but she thinks she sees relief fall over the brunette. “You really don’t have to show me any more of your drawings though,” Waverly says, retracting her request.

“Uh, no, it’s okay,” Nicole reluctantly agrees. She looks around her to see if there is anyone else around. The sun is starting to go down and most of the class is moving down toward the fire pits. She opens her sketchbook to a drawing of Waverly, sliding it across the table. She feels a sudden pit in her stomach, looking away as the brunette scans the drawing. 

“Nicole,” Waverly says, gaining the redhead’s attention. She turns back toward her, seeing her face light up. “Wow!”

“You’re easy to draw,” Nicole tells her, giving her a soft smile. 

“Why?” Waverly asks, continuing to look at the drawing. 

“You’re easy to think about,” Nicole admits, easily, with a shrug. She sees a small smile form on Waverly’s face as if she’s trying not to be seen smiling. Nicole smiles back at her when she sees the brunette's cheeks blush. Waverly slides her finger behind the page of the sketchbook and starts to flip to the next page. Nicole doesn’t stop her, she just looks at the next drawing with her. She leans in a little, her body pressing slightly against Waverly’s. 

“That’s Xavier Dolls, my probation officer,” she says in a mocking tone causing Waverly to giggle. “He’s a pretty cool guy to put up with me for so long,” she says. 

“I’m sure it’s not as hard as you think,” Waverly says. She flips another page.

“That’s my dad,” Nicole says. She runs her finger softly against the drawing.   
  


“He’s handsome,” Waverly says, studying the drawing carefully. Nicole feels her looking back up at her and looks over at her, making brief eye contact before looking back at the drawing.

“He was, yeah,” she says. Waverly gives her a sympathetic look. “He died when I was seven,” she tells her, softly. 

“I’m sorry, Nicole,” Waverly says apologetically. She feels the brunette place her hand on the small of her back. She’s never sure what to say when someone apologizing for her father being dead. It’s been long enough that she’s had time to cope, even if it still sucks at times. But no one that apologizes for it is ever the reason he’s gone.   
  


Yeah,” she says. “It’s really okay,” she tells her. Nicole flips the page of her sketchbook to take the attention off having to talk about her father. She immediately regrets it when she turns to a drawing of the blonde girl who takes up several pages of her sketchbooks and her past. She quickly shuts the book and pulls it toward her. 

“Who was that?” Waverly asks.

“No one,” Nicole says, quickly. She moves the book out of Waverly’s sight. 

“Oh, come on!” Waverly whines. She reaches for the book, pulling at Nicole’s hand. Nicole resists, pulling her hand away.

“No,” Nicole says. She tries to keep a stern tone, but ends up grinning back at the brunette when she sees the pouty lip she gives her. “That’s a story for another time,” Nicole tells her.   
  


“Ugh,” Waverly huffs. “Fine!” She puts her lip away, causing Nicole to laugh again and shake her head. “Why are you shaking your head?” Waverly asks.

“You’re pouting,” Nicole tells her. 

“And?” Waverly asks. 

“And nothing,” Nicole can’t help but smile back at the brunette. She’s not sure what’s come over her. Somewhere in the last half hour she feels like she’s thrown the whole idea of avoiding Waverly and just get through the weekend out the window. She groans internally at herself for her lack of willpower, but she can’t help but find the brunette extremely adorable as she pouts when she doesn’t give her what she wants. “It’s cute,” Nicole tells her.

Waverly blushes again and looks away from the redhead, avoiding eye contact. 

“Waves!” Chrissy’s voice calls her from across the way. Nicole doesn’t mean to externally groan, but she does. She’s annoyed with Chrissy for ruining the moment. 

“She beckons,” Waverly laughs. Nicole wants to reach out and grab her hand, telling her not to go. She wants to tell her to forget about them and stay for just a moment longer. She doesn’t. Instead, she watches as Waverly stands up from the picnic table and turns to head toward the fire. What she doesn’t expect is for Waverly to turn back toward her, reaching her hand out. Nicole places her hand in the brunette’s and Waverly pulls, helping her up from the picnic table. She she’s fully standing, she drops her hand from Waverly’s. “Come on,” the brunette says, gesturing to Nicole to follow her. 

She gives in and follows Waverly back down to the crowd of students from her class. She groans internally because she didn’t want to moment to end. She felt like they finally had a chance to be alone again, no expectations, no one from her family judging her, just the two of them. 

When they reach the others, most of the class is broken up into their friend groups. Nicole sees Rosita sitting with Robin and Jeremy on one side of the fire and Chrissy on the other. She’s torn for a moment, not wanting to leave Waverly, but she decides to take a turn toward her friends. As she sits down on a log, nearby Jeremy, she’s confused when she sees her friends looking past her until she turns her head and sees Waverly take a seat next to her on the log.

“Not hanging out with Chrissy?” Nicole says in a hushed tone as she leans in a little toward the brunette. 

“I didn’t want to hang out with the guys she’s with,” Waverly explains. She looks over at the group and sees them giving Waverly dirty looks. Champ looks at her with a questioning look and Waverly turns her head away from him. 

“Well, you’re welcome over here,” Nicole says with a smile. The rest agree and they spend the next hour or so talking casually. After a while, Chrissy joins them, telling them that she’s had enough of the rest of the football team and their immature conversations. 

As the night goes on, classmates begin to retire to their cabins for the night. Nicole looks up at the stars and becomes mesmerized for a moment. The thought of going inside doesn’t cross her mind, she would stay outside all night if she could. 

“Are you getting tired?” Waverly asks. Nicole looks down from the sky and back toward Waverly. She sees the brunette crossing her arms across her chest and shivering. 

“You’re cold,” she says. She doesn’t waste time before she stands up and takes her sweatshirt off, handing it to Waverly. Waverly doesn’t protest. She smiles and thanks Nicole as she puts the sweatshirt on her body. “I’m sorry, what did you ask?” Nicole realizes she was talking to her. 

“Are you tired?” Waverly repeats. 

“Not really,” Nicole tells her. “I like this,” she gestures to the fire and all around her. “It’s nice.”

“It is,” Waverly says with a smile. Nicole realizes that she is staring back at her. Nicole glances around them to see most of their classmates have left now, only a few are left, but they leave soon after. 

“I can walk you back up if you’re tired,” Nicole tells her. 

“No,” Waverly quickly protests. “I wouldn’t want to leave you alone.” Nicole smiles back at the brunette. She doesn’t mind the company, especially not from Waverly. “Thanks for letting me crash with your group tonight,” Waverly says. “I really can’t stand being around Champ and those other guys.”

“What’s so great about him anyway?” Nicole asks. “He’s an ass.”

“My dad is friends with his dad,” Waverly explains. “He has this crazy idea that we should be together. And apparently Champ likes to think so too,” she huffs. “It’s all about the image,” she rolls her eyes. 

“You’re not one of them, you know?” Nicole says. She looks up from poking at the fire with a stick, turning her focus to the brunette sitting on the log next to her.

“Who?” Waverly asks. Nicole notices the way the glow of the fire lights up the brunette’s face. Her eyebrows are slightly furrowed in confusion.

“The beautiful people,” Nicole tells her. She sees Waverly’s face drop slightly and realizes she might have said something wrong.

“Thanks?” Waverly’s tone conveys the fact that she’s slightly offended.

“No. It’s not what you think,” Nicole quickly tries to backpedal out of the situation. She reaches her hand out for Waverly’s. The brunette remains seated with her hands in her lap. Nicole’s fingertips lightly brush Waverly’s leg before he hand drops back down to her side. 

She lets out a sigh before continuing. “When I was growing up, we didn’t have much. My mom ditched us. My dad tried but he came up short a lot. I used to get mad at him because we didn’t have anything. I wanted to just have a taste of having whatever I want, you know? So my dad took me out here. He showed me the life of the upper class, how the other half lived. He called them the ‘beautiful people.’ I told him they all looked happy. He told me looks can be deceiving. He told me if I ever had a chance to really see through the facade, I’d understand. He told me that money doesn’t buy happiness and you can still be alone in a room full of people. Those people fit in by changing everything they are. That’s not real, Waverly. And that’s not you.”

Waverly doesn’t speak. She looks back at the redhead as if she watches every word come out of her mouth. Nicole’s senses feel heightened. As her voice fades out as if she’s waiting for Waverly to speak, all she can hear is the sound of buzzing from insects in the woods. There’s a soft breeze rustling the trees. The smell of fresh air and a campfire fills her nose. She’s silent. She can’t find words to fill the void.

“Are you okay?” Nicole breaks the silence. “Waverly I didn’t mean to-”

“No,” Waverly says. “I just-” 

The brunette leans forward, quickly, placing her hands on Nicole’s thighs to brace herself as their lips crash together. Nicole is startled by the action but accepts it once her brain catches up with what is happening. Waverly slides her body from the log next to Nicole to where she is now sitting on the redhead’s lap, facing her, lips still connected, bodies flush against each other. Nicole slides her hands to Waverly’s lower back, giving her extra support so she doesn’t fall.

The kiss quickly deepens, Nicole feels Waverly’s tongue brush lightly against hers. She parts her lips a little more, welcoming it. She tries to fight the urge to move her hands from the position they’re currently in, in fear that she will take it further than Waverly wants her to. They continue for a few moments until Waverly pulls back, gasping for air.

Nicole is slow to open her eyes but when she does, she sees Waverly looking back at her. She is silent and Nicole can’t quite read the look on her face. She desperately wants to continue kissing the girl in front of her, but she waits to see what her next move is.

Waverly steadies her breathing without breaking eye contact with Nicole. It’s almost as if Nicole can see the brunette processes everything that just happened in the last five minutes in her head. She finally speaks.

“I gotta go.” 

Waverly’s words sound desperate and a little panicked. She stands up from Nicole’s lap.

“What?” Nicole asks. She is confused. She reaches out her hand toward Waverly but just lets it brush against her side before she brings it back down toward her own lap.

“It’s okay, I should just really,” Waverly stutters a little as she gestures over her shoulder toward their cabin.

Nicole takes in a deep breath, letting it out slowly. She finally musters up enough courage to do what she wishes she had done the last time Waverly ran off after they kissed. 

"Wait," she calls out, stopping the brunette in her tracks. "Please don't go." She can see the deep breath that Waverly sucks into her lungs. She watches as she closes her eyes before releasing the breath back into the night air.

Waverly nods and moves back toward the Nicole. She isn't sure what to expect, so she opens her arms for the brunette, enveloping her as she presses her body against her own. She feels Waverly press her face against her chest and she rests her chin on the top of her head. A few moments go by before anyone speaks. Waverly finally peels her head off of Nicole's chest and leans back, Nicole tilts her head down to look into the hazel eyes gazing up at her.

"I really need to stop kissing you like that," Waverly finally speaks, her cheeks blush slightly. Nicole can't stop the grin that forms on her face. "Why are you looking at me like that?" Waverly asks, smiling herself. 

"You really don't need to stop," Nicole says through her grin. Waverly shakes her head and pushes off of the redhead a little further, placing hand flat against Nicole's abdomen.

"I just," Waverly says. "We just," she stutters. "I can't keep-"

"Why?" Nicole asks as Waverly turns away from her more. She tries reaching out, gently grasping around the brunette's wrist. Waverly turns back toward Nicole and takes her hand in her own.

"I could give you a million reasons why this shouldn't happen," Waverly sighs.

"Then let me give you a reason why it should," Nicole says, she pulls the brunette toward her more. Her right hand quickly finds its way to Waverly's left cheek, sliding across her cold skin, tangling her fingers into her hair.

There's not much time before their lips crash together again. Waverly returns the kiss immediately. It’s soft and sweet at first, but quickly deepens. Nicole takes a sharp breath in when she feels Waverly’s hands begin to explore her body, something Nicole has always stopped herself from doing before. 

She feels Waverly’s cold fingertips graze the skin just above her pantline, under her shirt. The brunette bunches up the fabric of Nicole’s shirt in her hands, pulling their bodies impossibly close. Nicole lets her hands move down Waverly’s back, feeling every curve, stopping at the small of her back. 

When they pull apart, they barely separate, leaning their foreheads together. Nicole can feel the brunette’s breath against her own, slowing down with every second that passes. Nicole takes a moment before slowly opening her eyes to see Waverly is doing the same. She pulls a little further apart, but their arms are still wrapped around each other. 

“I’m just not sure if anyone is ever going to be okay with this,” Waverly finally speaks. Nicole feels a pain in her chest at the words coming out of the brunette’s mouth, but she knows she’s willing to do what it takes to fight. 

“What about you?” Nicole asks. “Why don’t you take a second from trying to please everyone around you and think about what you, Waverly Earp, is okay with? What do you want?” she asks. 

She sees tears begin to form in Waverly’s eyes. The pain in her chest is back. She reaches up and wipes a stray tear from Waverly’s cheek. It’s warm against her cold cheek.

They stand in silence for a few moments. Nicole gives her time to speak. She gives her time to think. The last thing she wants is to be another person in Waverly’s life trying to make her do something she doesn’t want to do. 

“I want,” Waverly finally speaks. She places her hand flat against Nicole’s chest. She grasps the fabric of Nicole’s shirt and pulls her closer, kissing her gently on the lips. “I want you, Nicole.” 

The words come out of Waverly’s lips, cutting through the chill of the night. Nicole feels a warmth come over her and a smile grows on her face. “I want you too,” Nicole says. She lays a few more kisses on the brunette’s lips. She doesn’t want to stop kissing her, but she sees the brunette yawn and feels guilty for keeping her out late. “It’s getting late,” she says. 

Waverly whines and digs her face into the redhead’s chest, causing Nicole to laugh. “Fine,” she groans. “Can we do this again tomorrow night?” the brunette asks. 

Nicole nods. She’d do this every night if she could. She takes Waverly’s hand, lacing her figures between her own and they head toward the cabin together. When they approach the door, Nicole reaches out to open it, but Waverly stops her for another kiss. Nicole doesn't object and returns the kiss. 

When they make their way into the cabin, they move slowly, trying to remain as quiet as possible. It’s quiet, other than the sound of their classmates breathing and a few snores here and there. Nicole climbs to her bunk, attempting not to wake Rosita, who is sleeping in the bunk below her. 

She rolls over in the bunk, expecting to see Waverly crawling into her own bed. Instead, she sees her climbing the ladder into her bed instead. Nicole laughs, trying to stay quiet. She shifts over, lifting her blanket, allowing Waverly to curl up next to her. She smiles as their heads hit the pillow simultaneously. Nicole wraps her arms tightly around the girl next to her. She doesn’t want the night to end, in fear that things won’t be the same in the morning. Her thoughts run wild in her head. They’re almost deafening and she has trouble muting them. She closes her eyes and feels Waverly kiss her cheek, softly. “Goodnight,” Nicole whispers into the darkness.

Waverly slides her arm across Nicole’s torso, resting it gently on the redhead’s back. “Goodnight,” she hears her whisper back before exhaustion takes over and she succumbs to sleep. 


	10. Chapter 10

The next morning, Nicole is woken by the sun shining through the window and the loud sound of birds outside. She quickly remembers the events of the night before and hopes that it wasn’t just a dream. She feels someone shift in the bed next to her and her heart starts to race at the sight of Waverly, curled up next to her, nuzzled into her chest. She kisses the brunette’s forehead softly, causing her to move her head up and smile, eyes still closed. 

“Waves?” Chrissy calls out from across the room, there’s a slight panic in her voice. Waverly puts her finger to her mouth gesturing for Nicole to be quiet and not give away her location. Nicole turns slightly to see the blonde, who is now standing on the floor, pulling back the blankets of the clearly unslept in bed. “Has anyone seen Waverly?” Chrissy asks. Nicole tries to lie, shaking her head for a moment before Chrissy narrows her eyes on Nicole like she knows something. A nervous grin grows on Nicole’s face. “Why are you smiling?” Chrissy asks, pointing a warning finger at the redhead.

Finally, Waverly sits up in the bed. “I’m right here,” she says. Chrissy looks more confused as Waverly fully emerges from the blankets and starts to climb down the ladder, still wearing the redhead’s hoodie. The bed feels empty right away and Nicole immediately misses the warmth of the brunette’s body against her own. 

“Why were you up there?” Chrissy asks. She’s less panicked now, but more annoyed that she was hiding. 

“It was cold,” Waverly says with a shrug as she makes her way over to her bag. She digs through, pulling out clothes for the day. 

Nicole laughs to herself as she continues to watch the interaction. Chrissy still grilling her with questions about what really happened when everyone else went to bed last night. Waverly responds with little information, keep the moment sacred for now. 

“I’m gonna go shower, can we continue this later?” Waverly asks. 

“Sure,” Chrissy huffs. She gives Nicole a warning look. Nicole responds by putting her hands in the air in front of her and shaking her head, pretending not to know what she’s talking about. Waverly shoots her a quick wink before making her way into the showers. 

A few moments later, Nicole descends from the top bunk and finds clothes to change into as well. Although everything in her wants to go to the showers, she gives Waverly her privacy and decides on a shower later. She uses her foot to shake the bed where Rosita is still sleeping, hoping to wake her up. 

“Haught, that better be an earthquake, because if you’re waking me up right now I’m going to kill you,” Rosita huffs, eyes still closed. 

“Wake up,” Nicole says. She kicks the bed again, clearly not afraid of the threats Rosita is making. “I’m hungry.” 

“Then go eat,” Rosita groans. She rolls over toward the wall with her back to Nicole. 

“Come with me,” Nicole whines. She puts her hands up on the top bunk and starts to shake the structure again. 

“Haught,” Rosita warns. “Please don’t make me take you into the woods and kill you,” she says. 

“I’m willing to take my chances,” Nicole says with a laugh. 

Rosita groans again and rolls over. “Fine,” she says. Nicole moves out of the way so Rosita can climb out of bed. “Why are you so chipper this morning, anyway?” she asks. 

Nicole’s eyes widen slightly. Is she being obvious that something happened last night with her and Waverly? There’s no way Rosita could know, right? “What? I’m just hungry,” Nicole says quickly, trying to cover up her undeniable happiness. She glances behind her to see Waverly hasn’t made her way out of the showers yet. “Let’s go,” she says to Rosita, pulling on her arm.

They make their way into the mess hall to see some of their classmates are already eating. “Man, these people get up so early,” Rosita whines. 

“It’s after nine,” Nicole laughs. 

“It’s a weekend!” Rosita argues. Nicole laughs and shakes her head at the other girl. They grab some food. Rosita eats mostly just fruit while Nicole eyes up the bacon, placing a couple of pieces on her plate. 

They find an empty table to sit at, not seeing anyone they want to sit with. After a few minutes of eating breakfast and chatting idly with Rosita, Nicole looks up to see Waverly and Chrissy making an appearance in the mess hall. Nicole can’t help but smile at the sight of the brunette, remembering their kiss from the night before. She remembers waking up next to her that morning and the thought she had of wanting that to happen again. 

“You’re going to burn a hole through her,” Rosita says, breaking her of her thoughts. 

“Who?” Nicole says with a smirk, turning her attention back toward her friend. 

“Don’t play coy with me, Haught,” Rosita warns. Nicole shakes her head, refusing to give her any more information. “I know you’re up to something,” she continues. 

“I’m not up to something!” Nicole argues. Rosita laughs and reaches for Nicole’s plate, stealing a piece of bacon. The redhead swats at her hand. “Yo, get your own!” She yells. Rosita laughs and takes a bite of the bacon. 

Nicole pushes her playfully and looks up when she sees people approaching the table. She mentally kicks herself when she sees Waverly looking back at forth between Rosita and Nicole with an uneasy look on her face. The last thing she wants is Waverly to be jealous, especially of Rosita. 

“Morning ladies,” Rosita says after finishing the piece of bacon that she stole. Nicole shoots her another look before she smiles at Waverly, who takes a seat next to her at the table. 

“Good morning,” Waverly says. Nicole can see she’s still a little annoyed by the interactions between her and Rosita. She doesn’t see the issue, it’s how they always are. Maybe it is a little flirty. She makes a mental note to reel that in. 

She takes a deep breath in when Waverly sits down next to her. The scent of Waverly’s perfume fills her lungs and she feels her heart start to race. She suddenly loses focus on anything else going on around her until she feels someone nudge her. “Huh?” 

“I asked if you were going to play volleyball today,” Waverly apparently repeats herself. 

“Oh yeah,” Nicole says with a smile. “Sounds great.” She's a little nervous about playing volleyball in front of Waverly. She hasn’t played in a while and she doesn’t want to make a fool out of herself. 

They continue to talk about other things they want to do while they’re at the camp. Nicole just goes along with most ideas since being at a camp is all fairly new to her. She finds herself zoning out while the other girls are talking. She gets easily lost in Waverly’s eyes a couple of times until she remembers Rosita’s comment about burning a hole in her. She wonders if anyone else notices. 

“So did you two make out again last night, or what?” Chrissy asks out of nowhere. Waverly stops as she's about to eat a strawberry off of her plate. Nicole swears she feels her own jaw drop so far it hits the table. 

“What?” Rosita asks. Nicole’s eyes widen. She realizes she has yet to tell Rosita about her first kiss with Waverly. She didn’t want it getting back to Wynonna for some reason. “We never actually made out,” she hears Rosita continue. “We just came really close once.” 

Nicole’s eyes widen further, if that’s even possible. She quickly realizes she thinks Chrissy was talking to them, not her and Waverly. Nicole has never wanted to disappear more than she does in this moment. She covers her face with her hands, avoiding eye contact with any of the girls at the table. 

The entire group falls silent until Chrissy snorts out a laugh. “Oh man,” she says between laughs. “This is so good.” 

Nicole peels her hands from her face and looks around the table. Rosita has a guilty look on her face, Chrissy is still laughing and the look on Waverly’s face is one Nicole can’t quite identify. 

“I should probably go shower,” Nicole says. She needs an excuse to get away from the table. Anything. “I’ll catch you guys later?” 

Rosita mouths ‘sorry,’ at her, she’s unsure if the girl even knows what she’s apologizing for. She glances over at Waverly, whose face has softened and looks a little sympathetic. Nicole places her hand on the brunette’s shoulder and offers her a soft smile as she stands up from the bench and heads back to the cabin. 

“Nicole, wait!” Waverly calls out after her as she walks down the trail toward the cabin. Deja Vu comes over Nicole. She remembers the night at the carnival. The fight in the parking lot. The conversation ending in friendship. She’s not sure she can do that again. She sighs and slows down, allowing Waverly to catch up. 

“Look, Waves,” Nicole begins to apologize right away. “I swear nothing happened with Rosita,” she says. “Nothing is happening with Rosita,” she corrects herself. “We’re friends.” 

“I know, I know,” Waverly says. “I’m sorry for Chrissy,” she apologizes. “She doesn’t have a filter sometimes.” 

“I’ve noticed,” Nicole laughs. “I haven’t told her anything.”

“I know,” Waverly says. “She knows about my party,” she explains. “I didn’t really expect her to spit that in anyone’s face, so I’ll be having a discussion with her later,” she says, appearing to make a mental note to yell at the blonde later on. Nicole laughs at the thought and opens the cabin door, allowing Waverly to enter first. 

Waverly smiles and thanks her for holding the door for her. Nicole follows her into the cabin and sits down on Waverly’s bunk. “We don’t have to tell anyone anything else if you’re not ready,” Nicole says. She watches as Waverly walks past her, peeking her head into the bathroom. She comes out quickly, looking around the room. Nicole watched, confused. “Waves,” she says. 

Waverly doesn’t respond, she just past Nicole again, this time looking outside the door of the cabin as if she’s seeing if anyone is coming. The brunette then quickly turns and heads back toward Nicole. The redhead doesn’t have time to think before she feels Waverly’s lips against her own. 

She reaches her hands up, tangling them in the hair behind Waverly’s head, pulling her body closer. Waverly leans down, pushing Nicole backward on the bed. Nicole feels her brain short circuit when she feels Waverly straddling her on the bed. They continue to make out for a moment before Nicole realizes they could get caught. 

“Waves,” Nicole whispers in between kisses. She doesn’t want to stop, but she knows it won’t be good if someone walks in on them right now either. Waverly groans and Nicole assumes she’s finally having the same thoughts. 

“Sorry,” the brunette says, sheepishly. She lifts herself off of Nicole a little more, continuing to hover over her. 

“Don’t be,” Nicole says, smiling up at the brunette. “Trust me,” she breathes. “As much as I’d love to continue this, I don’t think we’re ready to explain it either.” 

Waverly laughs and kisses Nicole on the cheek. “You’re right,” she says as she rolls over and lifts herself off the bed. “But that doesn’t mean we have to stop making out right?” 

“No,” Nicole says quickly. She sits up on the bed and places her hands on either side of Waverly’s hips. “I didn’t say that at all!” She reminds her. She stands up from the bed, bringing her body close to Waverly’s again, kissing her softly on the lips. “We can just be more careful,” Nicole says giving her a wink. 

“Sounds like a plan,” Waverly giggles and pressed another quick kiss against Nicole’s cheek. “Now go shower before people start to wonder where we are!” 

Nicole laughs and reluctantly peels herself away from the brunette. “Fine,” she whines, gaining another laugh from Waverly. 

****   
  
  


——————-

****   
  
  


Nicole’s shower doesn’t last long. She has to peel herself out of the warm water and break herself from thoughts of Waverly straddling her on the bed. She can’t help but still feel the brunette’s body on her own, craving more. She rubs soap on her face, quickly rinsing it away with water before shutting the water off and climbing out to dry off. 

When she’s finally dressed and ready to go for the day, she makes her way out of the cabin to find her friends. She sees Waverly with Chrissy, hanging out on the edge of the volleyball court, watching some of their classmates play a game. She sees Jeremy and Robin nearby and they tell her they’ve been recruited to play with Waverly and Chrissy. 

“Nicole’s on our team too,” Waverly says as the redhead takes a seat next to them on the ground. Nicole quickly agrees, knowing she wouldn’t be able to say ‘no’ anyway.  **   
**

It doesn’t take long before Nicole finds herself on the volleyball court with her team. Chrissy is first in line to serve. She’s never seen the girl play any sports yet, but from the amount of track trophies in her room, she assumes she’s at least athletic. She watches her as she serves the ball with perfect form. Maybe she plays volleyball too. She realizes that she hasn’t really taken the time to get to know Chrissy too much yet. That could be due to the fact that she's spent most of her time afraid she’s going to piss her off. 

It turns out her team is fairly good at the game. She’s not too bad herself either. She’s impressed by Robin’s ability to spike the ball over the net. When it’s Waverly’s turn to serve, Nicole is on the other side of the court from her, in the front row. She turns to see Waverly with the ball in her hands. 

Time seems to slow as she watches the brunette get into formation to serve. Her well toned legs staggered, one perfectly muscular arm out in front of her holding the ball while the other moves up above her head, her shirt lifting just slightly enough to see her lower abs. Nicole licks her lips as her eyes trail down Waverly’s body, her mouth feeling suddenly dry. 

After the ball is served, she has difficulty peeling her eyes from the brunette’s body. She doesn’t see the perfect set by Champ on the opposing team and she definitely doesn’t see the powerful spike hit by Perry directly on the other side of the net from her. 

“Haught!” Robin calls out, gaining Nicole’s attention. She turns quickly to see the ball soaring toward her. She quickly puts her hands together, passing the ball perfectly to Rosita, who sets Robin up for the spike. They score and get the ball back. 

The next serve results in more of a volley, Nicole being set up for the spike this time, for the win. Robin sets the ball to her, she feels time slow again as she focuses on the ball floating above her head. She pushes off the ground, leaping into the air, hitting the ball just right to send it soaring through the air toward Champ, who seems to be distracted by a group of girls walking by the court. 

_ Slam!  _

Nicole cringes, but can’t help but laugh to herself at the sight of Champ holding his cheek in pain when the ball slams directly into the side of his head. She turns toward her team who is trying not to laugh at the sight of their classmate in pain. She cringes a little as she turns to go check on him. 

“Hey,” Nicole says softly. “I’m sorry,” she tells him. She leans down to see if he’s okay. 

“I’m fine!” Champ huffs as he pushes her away, turning away from the redhead, storming off the court. She turns back toward Waverly, who appears to be still in shock and shrugs, causing the brunette to break out into laughter. 

Nicole is shocked when she feels the brunette wrap her arms around her middle. She doesn’t know what to do at first, but quickly reciprocates the hug. She takes a deep breath in, not wanting the moment to end. Waverly pulls away without warning and turns to the rest of the team, giving them victory hugs as well. She turns to Robin and high fives him. 

“Man, Haught,” Robin says. “Have you considered playing volleyball?” He asks. School sports? She’s never considered school sports before. She never understood the hype. 

She shrugs in response. “I don’t know,” she says. 

“Ooh you should!” Waverly chimes in. Nicole looks over at her with a questioning look. Maybe she’s more into athletes. “You’re good!” Waverly tells her. 

“I’m not that good,” Nicole brushes off the conversation. She heads with the group back toward the cabins. 

The conversation about the school volleyball team continues, despite Nicole’s efforts to change the subject. Robin tells her that he’s on the boy’s team and it would be cool to have someone he’s close with to travel to away games with. Nicole tells him that she will consider it, gaining a grin from Waverly who’s walking directly next to her. 

As they get closer to the cabin area, Waverly slows down, hanging back a little from the group. “Um, Nicole,” she calls out, causing the redhead to stop in her tracks. “Can you help me with something?” She asks. Nicole looks at her confused for a moment but quickly goes along with it. 

“Oh, um, yeah,” Nicole says. “The thing,” she gestures over her shoulder and tells the rest of the group that they’ll meet up with them soon. She catches up to Waverly and follows her toward the woods, behind a group of trees. 

“Smooth,” Nicole says with a smile as they duck behind the trees. Waverly immediately pushes up on her toes, kissing Nicole deeply.

“You didn’t tell me you were so good at volleyball,” Waverly says when they pull apart. 

“Because I’m not,” Nicole laughs. “Basketball is more my thing. But I just play for fun so don’t start talking me into the school team,” she laughs. 

“Maybe you can show me sometime,” Waverly says with a grin. Nicole smiles back at her and leans in again, softly kissing her lips. 

“Man, if I knew sports would impress you, I would have done this sooner,” Nicole teases. 

Waverly playfully pushes her. “You don’t need sports to impress me,” she tells her. 

“Apparently it doesn’t hurt,” Nicole laughs. 

“No, it’s kinda hot,” Waverly tells her, leaning back in for another kiss. Nicole leans back against the tree that’s behind her, feeling Waverly press her body against her own. 

Nicole wraps her right arm tighter around the brunette, her left hand gently brushing against her cheek, sliding to the back of her head. She feels Waverly’s tongue brush against her lip, requesting entrance. Nicole gratefully parts her lips, continuing to deepen the kiss. She feels Waverly’s hands begin to slide up her body, running her fingers over her abs. There’s a fire inside of her, a desire to feel more of the brunette’s body, but she keeps her hands steady, trying not to move too quickly. 

They continue to make out until someone needs to come up for air. “Do you think anyone is going to come looking for us?” Nicole finally asks, looking around them. She doesn’t move her hands from Waverly’s body. 

“Are you always this paranoid?” Waverly teases. 

“I just,” Nicole says, stopping to think about how she wants to word her next thought. “Don’t want you make you uncomfortable,” she says. 

“Nicole, you’re really sweet,” Waverly says with a smile. “And I really like that about you. But you don’t have to worry so much about making me uncomfortable. I’ll let you know, okay?”

“Okay,” Nicole says. She leans down and kisses Waverly softly on the cheek. 

“Ready to go find everyone else?” Waverly asks. Nicole nods and follows Waverly back toward the cabins. 

****   
  
  


—————-

****   
  
  


When they meet up with their friends, they find the group eating lunch. Waverly and Nicole grab some food and join them at the table, sitting next to each other. The group chats idly while they eat. Nicole watches the group as they interact with each other. She feels that she’s finally finding a place among these people. She finds that she was wrong in her initial judgement of the town. Maybe good things are coming out of this move after all. 

On the way back from lunch, Waverly and Nicole are walking behind the rest of the group until Chrissy hangs back, walking next to them. “You guys are being weird,” the blonde says, causing both Nicole and Waverly to give her questioning looks. “So, are you really going to tell me what’s going on?”

“Okay, you were right,” Waverly says. “We made out again.” Nicole’s eyes widen at the honesty coming out of the brunette. She doesn’t mind the confession. She appreciates that Waverly doesn’t want to totally hide whatever is going on between them. 

“I knew it!” Chrissy yells. Nicole becomes nervous that other people are listening, but noticed no one else is close enough. Waverly laughs. 

“And then again,” the brunette says, grinning at the redhead. 

“This is weird,” Nicole admits. Waverly turns to look at her. 

“Why?” She asks. 

“I feel like I’m interrupting girl talk,” Nicole laughs. Truthfully, she feels like they’re talking about her in front of her face like she’s not there. She’d rather Waverly have time with her best friend to talk about it if that’s what she wants to do. She’s sure she’ll hear about it later anyway. 

“You really don’t do this, do you, Haught?” Chrissy asks. 

“Not really,” Nicole shrugs. She hasn’t had a lot of close friends throughout the years to have these kind of talks with. She was in love once before but she never had the urge to talk about it in great detail with anyone, especially when it ended. She doesn’t want to take that away from Waverly or interrupt that in any way. Waverly leans up kisses her on the cheek, which comes as a pleasant surprise to the redhead. Chrissy looks back at her. 

“Sorry, is that weird?” Waverly asks. 

“Not really, actually, I’ve been hearing about how bad you wanted to…” Chrissy starts until she’s cut off by Waverly covering her mouth with her hand. 

“Okay, you’re off the hook,” Waverly says quickly. Nicole can tell she doesn’t want Chrissy to continue talking around the redhead. “We’ll have girl talk without you,” the brunette says. 

“Good luck, Nedley,” Nicole teases, nudging Chrissy in the arm with her elbow. “See you later, Waves,” she says with a smile. 

**** **   
**

Nicole makes her way back to her cabin to find Rosita inside with Jeremy and Robin. “What’s up?” She says as she enters the building. 

“Wow, you’re spending time away from Waverly for once?” Rosita calls her out immediately. 

“Ha ha,” Nicole says, plopping down on Waverly’s bunk, noticing the blankets are a little messed up from their makeout session there earlier in the day. 

“So what’s really going on there?” Rosita asks. 

“Yeah, you can’t tell me there’s not more going on!” Jeremy chimes in. 

“You really kissed her?” Rosita asks. 

“Well, she kissed me,” Nicole corrects her. 

“Wait, you and Waverly kissed?” Robin asks, finally catching up with what’s going on. 

“If I tell you I’m not gonna have Wynonna threatening me again am I?” Nicole asks, directing her question mostly toward Rosita. 

“I’ll keep it on lock,” she says, pretending to lock her mouth with a key. 

“Fine,” Nicole sighs. “I really like her,” she says. 

“Well I could have told you that,” Jeremy laughs. 

“We want to know the juicy stuff!” Rosita tells her. 

“How do you know there’s juicy stuff?” Nicole asks. She looks back and forth between her three friends who are all staring at her attentively. Something in her finds this more comfortable than listening to Waverly and Chrissy talk about their kiss. 

“I heard she slept in your bed last night,” Rosita tells her. Nicole looks at her, confused as to who would have told her that. She quickly assumes it was Chrissy.

“Okay, yes but not like that,” Nicole protests. 

“Well, I hope you were banging some girl in the bunk above me!” Rosita laughs. 

“She not just some girl,” Nicole warns. 

“Okay okay. So what happened,” Robin chimes in. 

“It’s been a little complicated,” Nicole begins. She goes on to explain what happened at Waverly’s birthday party. While telling the story, she feels guilty giving this information out without Waverly knowing. This must be what it’s like to have friends to talk about these kind of things with. 

“So let me get this straight,” Rosita says. “I leave and you’re making out with Waverly Earp? And Shae Pressman? You player!” She teases. 

“It’s not like that,” Nicole protests. “Making out with Shae wasn’t really my idea, it just kind of happened.” 

“I knew you were into Waverly,” Rosita says. “I totally called it!” 

“Yeah, yeah,” Nicole says. “Is that why you set me up on the Ferris Wheel?” 

“Hey, that was all her!” Rosita argues. “She just came in and pleaded and I was so thrown off I just went with it. But what happened to get her in your bed last night because you guys haven’t been so chummy lately,” she continues. 

“It’s been complicated. But we ended up alone at the fire last night and one thing lead to another,” Nicole trails off. 

“Okay, Romeo,” Rosita teases.

“So are you two together now or what?” Jeremy asks. 

Before she can answer, the cabin door swings open and Chrissy and Waverly come in through the door. Nicole looks up quickly and stops talking as they enter.

“What’s going on in here?” Waverly asks. Nicole looks guilty for a moment. “You told them, didn’t you?” The brunette asks. Nicole continues to sit in silence with a guilty look on her face. “Nicole, it’s fine,” she smiles. 

Nicole lets out a breath she didn’t realize she was holding. She holds out her hand toward Waverly. Waverly reaches out and takes the redhead’s hand in her own. Nicole pulls Waverly toward her and the brunette sits down on the bed next to her, still holding Nicole’s hand. 

****   
  


_____________

Later that night, the group joins a bunch of their classmates by the fire pit outside. Waverly puts on Nicole’s sweatshirt that she wore the night before before making her way out to the fire. Nicole sees what she’s wearing and smiles back at the brunette. 

When they arrive at the fire, they find a group of their classmates making s’mores and talking amongst themselves. They greet the group and they all settle in to spots on logs around the fire. 

“Anyone down for truth or dare?” Champ calls out to the group of classmates as he makes his way over to the fire. He’s followed by a couple of other football players who let out a cheer at the idea. 

Nicole looks over at Waverly to gauge her reaction to the idea. Whenever she’s played truth or dare in the past, it never turned out well and jealousy played a huge factor in that. 

“It turns more into truth or make out with someone, just a warning,” Waverly says. 

“Is that okay with you?” Nicole asks in a hushed tone. 

“It’s a game,” Waverly shrugs. Nicole assumes that means the brunette is giving her the green light to participate. What she doesn’t think about is the possibility of her becoming jealous if Waverly is dared to do something she doesn’t like. 

Waverly is right when she says the game is more ‘truth or make out.’ After the first ten minutes of the game, four people have already been dared to make out with someone else. So far, their group of friends goes unscathed until she hears one of the football players call out to her. 

“Okay, new girl,” he says. “Truth or dare?” All eyes are suddenly on Nicole. It feels like the beginning of the school year all over again, back when everyone stared at her because they didn’t know who she was. 

“Truth,” she picks the route that seems the safest. 

“Okay,” the boy thinks for a moment. “Are you really on probation?” He asks. Nicole feels Waverly shift in her seat. She swears she can feel a rage of anger bubbling from within her. 

“Yeah,” Nicole says without hesitation. She’s sure most people already have heard stories by now, there’s no sense in lying at this point. 

“For what?” He continues to ask. 

“That wasn’t the question,” Waverly chimes in, sticking up for Nicole. Nicole smiles at her for trying to stop them from diving too deep into information that really isn’t their business. 

“No. It’s okay,” she says, gently touching Waverly’s arm. She puts her arm back to her side quickly, attempting to not make the brunette uncomfortable in front of their entire class. “I got caught tagging some buildings back in the city,” Nicole tells him. 

“So Mr. tall, dark and handsome that meets with you at the diner is,” Stephanie Jones, one of Waverly’s fellow cheerleaders, chimes in. 

“My probation officer,” Nicole finishes the sentence for her. 

“Told you it wasn’t her boyfriend!” Stephanie calls out. Laughter from Nicole’s friends around her fill the air. 

“My boyfriend?” Nicole laughs. “Oh man, he’d love to hear that,” she says. 

“Is he single?” The girl asks. 

“Okay, moving on,” Chrissy says. “Nicole, pick someone,” she says. Nicole looks at her and nods, silently thanking her for changing the subject. 

“Um,” Nicole says. She scans her classmates, unsure of who to choose. Champ, truth or dare?” She asks. 

She finds this to be the best way to keep Champ from kissing Waverly. He quickly picks dare, puffing out his chest like he’s some hotshot. Nicole rolls her eyes at the boy and dares him to kiss Stephanie. Champ stands up like he’s some sort of gift to women and makes his way over to Stephanie. She watches as the girl gags and gives her a dirty look, but goes along with it anyway. There’s a few cheers while they kiss. Champ sits back down and picks someone to go next. 

“Waverly, truth or dare?” The boy asks with a smug look on his face. Nicole watches him intently, unsure of what his next move is. All she can think is that he better not dare her to kiss him. 

“Dare,” Waverly says. Nicole looks at her, afraid of what is about to happen next. 

“Make out with the new girl,” Champ says with a grin. 

“You don’t have to,” Nicole whispers quietly to Waverly. She doesn’t want to put her in a position she’s not ready for. 

“It’s just a game, right?” Waverly shrugs. She leans in and lays a soft kiss on Nicole’s lips. Nicole tries not to make a big deal out of it and leans back into her spot. 

“That’s not what he said!” A voice of another football player comes through the crowd of people. “He said makeout!” 

Waverly and Nicole look at each other for a moment. Nicole isn’t sure what Waverly is about to do. The brunette looks back at her for a moment before quickly moving toward her. Waverly slides her hand to the back of Nicole’s head, pulling her forward before crashing their lips together. Nicole is shocked at the boldness of the brunette but also admittedly a little turned on. 

She finds herself reciprocating the kiss, regardless of her knowledge that the majority of the senior class are all staring at them. There are cheers from the group and Nicole finally realizes they should probably separate before they give them more of a show. The pair pull away and pause for a moment before they sit back down next to each other. When she scans the group, she sees an angry Champ stand from his spot on the other side of the fire.

“Bro, you asked for it!” Perry calls out to him as he moves further away from the fire. Nicole expects Champ to make his way around the fire and over to Waverly, but he doesn’t. 

“Fuck off,” Champ huffs at his teammate. There are snickers from their classmates and Waverly just shrugs when she looks at Nicole. Nicole can’t help but laugh. 

“Okay, this is stupid,” Chrissy chimes in, trying to calm people down. “Why don’t we do something else?” She suggests. 

“Ghost stories!” Rosita calls out from her spot on the other side of Chrissy. Nicole sees Waverly’s eyes widen at the suggestion. She wonders if Waverly becomes easily scared by things like ghost stories. The majority of the rest of the class agree on the activity change and they begin sharing different stories around the fire.  ****

The later it gets, the more Nicole feels Waverly move closer to her on the log. They listen quietly to the stories being told by their classmates. Waverly jumps a few times, grabbing Nicole’s hand that is pressing against the log in the little space that’s left between the two of them. 

“You okay?” Nicole leans in and whispers to Waverly. The brunette nods but doesn’t seem believable. Nicole reaches over, placing her hand on Waverly’s thigh, squeezing gently to let her know that she’s there. She feels Waverly place her hand of Nicole’s, lacing their fingers together. 

After a couple more stories, Waverly starts to yawn, indicating that she’s tired. Nicole gestures to Chrissy and Rosita to see if they want to head back to the cabin. Waverly quickly agrees to leave when they all tell her that they’re tired. Robin and Jeremy trail behind, heading back to the cabin with the group. 

When they get ready for bed, Nicole feels Waverly wrap her arms around her waist from behind, before she can turn to climb the ladder to her bunk. “Stay down here with me?” She whispers. 

Nicole spins around in Waverly’s arms and nods, kissing her on the forehead. She allows Waverly to climb in bed first, sliding in behind her. 

Waverly turns to face Nicole. “Are you okay?” Nicole asks, whispering to not disturb anyone else. 

“Some of those stories freaked me out,” Waverly whispers, sheepishly. “I realize how embarrassing that is,” she groans quietly. 

“It’s not embarrassing, it’s okay,” Nicole assures her. 

“I mean it gives me another excuse to sleep next to you,” Waverly whispers, grinning back at the redhead. 

“You don’t need an excuse,” Nicole tells her. “I don’t mind. Are you feeling better?” She asks, wrapping her arm around Waverly, holding her close. 

“I feel safer,” Waverly says.

“Man, I don’t keep you safe?” Chrissy’s voice comes from above them, breaking them from their little bubble that they are in.

“Shut up, Chrissy!” Waverly groans. Nicole laughs. 

“You guys aren’t quiet whisperers,” Chrissy informs them. 

“Sorry,” Waverly says, apologetically. 

“Ah, whatever. At least one of us is getting some action,” Chrissy sighs. Laughter comes from everyone else in the cabin. Nicole catches Waverly rolling her eyes and shaking her head at the comment. She gives the brunette a dimpled smile, earning a kiss on the cheek. 

“Okay, But I don’t want to hear you two making out down there,” Chrissy groans. 

Nicole lets out another laugh. “You’re not fun, Nedley,” she teases. 

“Sure, you already gave the entire class a show,” Chrissy says. “We don’t need a private show,” she laughs. 

“Yeah,” Robin chimes in. “That was pretty intense.” 

“Champ asked for it,” Waverly huffs. 

“And then he cried like a baby,” Jeremy laughs from across the room. 

“Then he shouldn’t have asked for it,” Waverly says with a laugh. 

“He’s just jealous it wasn’t with him,” Chrissy says. 

“He’s a douche,” Rosita chimes in. The group laughs at the comment. 

“I didn’t know you were even awake,” Nicole says to Rosita with a laugh. 

“Because I actually know how to be quiet over here,” Rosita teases. “But for real, shut up so I can sleep,” she huffs. 

Nicole laughs and agrees, telling everyone goodnight. She feels Waverly roll over toward the wall and wraps her arm around Waverly, holding her tightly. She feels Waverly lace their fingers together and she smiles to herself. She places a kiss on the crown of the brunette’s head, whispering ‘goodnight’ before she falls asleep. 


	11. Chapter 11

It’s the last full day of the camping trip and they wake up to rain in the morning. There’s a unanimous groan that comes from the cabin, waking Nicole up. She lets out a groan herself, but this time because they woke her up. She feels the bed next to her, noticing it’s empty, and rubs her eyes to open them. “What are you guys whining about?” She huffs. 

“You’re awake!” She hears Waverly squeal and suddenly she’s not alone in bed anymore. 

“It’s raining out,” Chrissy tells her. 

“Are you afraid you’ll melt?” Nicole teases as she wraps her arms back around Waverly, who is now laying next to her. 

Chrissy scoffs at the redhead, causing Waverly to laugh. “I guess we’re playing card games,” Waverly says. 

“Okay, but when it stops raining, we’re going out in the boats,” Chrissy says. Nicole looks at Waverly, nervously, at the idea of being out in a boat in open water. She assumes Waverly feels her nervousness when she feels the brunette squeeze her arm gently. 

“Not into boats?” She asks in a hushed tone. 

“Never been,” Nicole shrugs. 

“What are you two whisper twins whispering about now?” Chrissy calls them out. The pair stops talking to each other and turns toward the blonde. 

“Whisper twins?” Nicole asks with a laugh. 

“Your new nickname,” Chrissy says. “Congratulations. You two are the world’s worst whisperers.” Waverly laughs and pulls the pillow out from underneath their heads, throwing it across the room at Chrissy. “Ow!” Chrissy pretends to be hurt by the soft object flying across the room at her. “Are you two going to get up and spend time with us?” 

Waverly and Nicole look at each other for a moment. Nicole thinks about how she would be completely content with staying in bed with Waverly. It’s surprising to her how quickly she finds comfort in being close to the brunette. It’s been a while since she’s been with anyone, other than random make out sessions here and there. But none of them were anything like Waverly. 

“I guess,” Nicole huffs, causing Waverly to giggle. Nicole releases her grip on the brunette and watches her as she rolls out of the bed, dragging herself out as well. 

They spend the next hour hanging out inside the cabin, playing cards. Nicole finds out that Waverly is actually really good at poker. She eyes up the stack of poker chips in front of the brunette, then the much smaller stack in front of her. “So if I go out can I get a loan from you?” Nicole jokingly asks the brunette. 

“Nope,” Waverly says with a grin. She flips her cards over to reveal another full house. 

“Damnit!” Nicole says, tossing her cards down on the table, causing Waverly to laugh. She shakes her head at the brunette as she slides the poker chips toward herself. 

Waverly ends up winning the poker game and Nicole is only a little bit of a sore loser toward her. They realize by the end of the game the rain has ended and they decide to make their way outside for the rest of the day. 

Chrissy continues to insist on going out on the lake in the boats. Nicole feels her nerves bubbling inside of her. When they reach the edge of the lake, she looks out across the body of water. She tries to deter her mind from thinking about the things that could go wrong. She feels Waverly’s hand on her arm, squeezing gently. She looks over at the brunette who is giving her a soft smile. “You sure?” Waverly asks. Nicole nods and gestures for the brunette to follow her toward the boats. 

Waverly pulls one of the row boats toward the edge of the lake and tells Nicole to climb in first, explains that she’ll get in next and push them off the edge of the lake. Climbing into the boat, Nicole is sure she looks like a fool. Nothing about the boat is stable. She puts one foot inside to start and hears Waverly encouraging her to keep going. She looks back at the brunette, seeing her holding the row boat as still as she possibly can. She takes a deep breath in and quickly brings her other foot into the boat, sitting down on one end. 

Waverly cheers her on and she quickly relaxes, watching the brunette climb in to the other side of the boat. Nicole watches at the brunette settles in to the seat, grabbing the handles of the paddles with her hands. “Ready?” Waverly asks, smiling at Nicole. Nicole nods her head and watches the muscles in Waverly’s arms tense as she begins to move them off of the shore, into the water. 

Nicole is surprised at how comfortable she actually is on the water. She takes time to look around the lake, taking in the nature around her. She hasn’t spent much time outside of an urban setting and it’s all still pretty new to her, but it’s definitely something she’d like to do more often. 

Her eyes drift from the trees and the lake around her to Waverly’s arms, watching her row the boat. She can’t help but stare at her arm muscles as they move back and forth with the paddles. As they make their way across the lake, they see some of their classmates in boats nearby. They make small talk as they approach the space where the other boats are. Nicole can’t help but noticed how liked Waverly really is by the other students in the senior class. She sees Shae in a nearby boat with another one of their classmates. She hasn’t really spoken the the girl much since Waverly’s birthday party and quite honestly, she’s not really sure what to say to her. It’s not that they were ever really friends, but she also doesn’t want to make Waverly uncomfortable, especially now that is finally in a good place with her. 

She makes brief eye contact with Shae, who offers her a wave and a quick wink. Nicole quickly looks at Waverly, hoping she didn’t see her. She doesn’t think she did since she doesn’t have any reaction. Nicole smiles politely back at Shae, giving her a small wave from where she sits in her own boat.

“Oh hey, Waverly.” Nicole cringes at the sound of Champ Hardy’s voice coming from behind her. She sees Waverly look past her toward the boy calling out for her. 

“Hey, Champ,” Waverly says, politely. Nicole can tell she’s not interested in actually having a conversation with him, but she’s too polite not to acknowledge him.

“If you need any help, let me know,” he says. Nicole turns around to look at the boy. He has a smirk on his face that she would like to knock off. 

“Nope, I’m good, Champ,” Waverly says, nicely. She is really good at being friendly, even to people like Champ. Nicole can’t help but laugh when she sees the smirk fall from the boy’s face.

“You think you’re cool, new girl?” Champ barks across the water.

“Leave her alone Champ,” Waverly immediately sticks up for her. 

“What’s with you guys anyway?” Champ asks, ignoring Waverly’s request. “You suddenly into girls now?” He asks Waverly. Waverly glares at him. Nicole suddenly feels warm. She wants to argue. She wants to tell him to shove it, but she doesn't want to make Waverly upset. She doesn’t want her to think that she can’t fight her own battles. 

“Why?” Waverly asks. “Are you jealous?” She smirks back at the man. Nicole’s eyes widen, surprised by Waverly’s remark, but also impressed. 

“Jealous of what?” Champ retorts. Good one. Nicole watches as the boy starts to stand in the boat. Perry, who is rowing the boat with him starts to give him a questioning look. 

“Champ, sit the hell down,” he huffs. “You’re going to tip the boat!” Champ laughs and brushes him off and continues to stand. 

“Want to go for a swim, Waves?” He asks. He wobbles back and forth a little on the boat, Perry shaking his head behind him. 

“No thanks,” Waverly tries to brush him off. Nicole is growing more irritated by having Champ around. She wants to take over the paddles and move them out of there, but doesn’t. 

“Come on!” Champ says. His tone is whiny and irritates Nicole more. “When have you ever turned me down before?” Nicole can’t help but let out a laugh, louder than anticipated. She can almost feel the glare that she receives from Champ after that. “Shut up, Red.” Another good one. 

“Champ,” Waverly says in a warning tone. 

“You don’t know what you’re missing,” he smirks at the brunette again. Nicole can’t take it anymore. 

“Champ,” Nicole finally says. “I think she told you no.” 

“Why don’t you stay out of Waverly’s business!” Champ retorts. “You might think you’re hot shit because you’re new, but everyone is going to get over that and you’ll be old news fast.” 

Nicole looks back at Waverly. Champ’s words hit Nicole, but they don’t sink their teeth in. She’s heard it all by now and has learned to not let it bother her. She can tell, however, that Waverly is having a hard time just letting it go. She wants to tell her it’s fine and that he doesn’t matter. But she also doesn’t want to make that choice for her. 

“I’m going to ask you one last time, Champ,” Waverly says, trying to keep herself calm. 

“Or what?” He asks. 

He’s relentless. Nicole turns to look at him once more and notices a shift in his position, causing him to lose his balance and tumble forward a little. He catches himself, putting his hands out to his sides to keep his balance. He laughs at the close call, but as the small wave that he created, shifting the boat so quickly, comes back in his direction, he loses control and topples over backwards into the water. 

“Guess you needed that swim after all,” Perry calls out as Champ pops his head back up above water. 

“Fuck you,” Champ says as he tries to climb back into the boat. 

“No way!” Perry protests, rowing away from him a little. “Meet me at the side and you can get back in there.” 

Nicole and Waverly both break out into laughter at the sight of Champ swimming after the boat as Perry rows. Waverly grabs the paddles and rows them further across the lake. They see another group of their classmates across the lake a little bit. Instead of heading in that direction, Waverly rows them around a bend to a small area surrounded by foliage. 

The leaves on the trees have turned to shades of oranges and reds. She gets lost in the sites around her. She doesn’t notice that the boat has stopped moving and Waverly is now watching her. She lowers her head to make eye contact with the brunette, a smile growing on her face. “It’s not polite to stare,” Nicole says, smirking at the brunette. 

“Not staring,” Waverly says. “Just observing,” she smiles. “Can I tell you something?” 

“Yeah, anything,” Nicole says. 

“This is going to sound weird,” Waverly says, she blushes a little. “But I like that you’re not from here,” she admits. Nicole looks back at her, unsure of what she meant at first. 

“So that’s why you’re into me?” Nicole teases. 

“Well, it helps that you’re you,” Waverly says with a laugh. “But you just have a different view of the world than anyone I’ve ever met.” 

“This part of the world is all new to me,” Nicole tells her. She laughs a little and becomes embarrassed by her admission. “The city is basically all I’ve known,” she says. 

“It's nice to see there’s a world outside of Purgatory,” Waverly laughs. “I feel like people forget there’s more sometimes. It kind of sucks you in.” 

“The world is much bigger than Purgatory,” Nicole laughs. 

“Thank goodness for that,” Waverly sighs. 

“I’ll take you there someday,” Nicole tells her. She realizes how quickly the idea comes out of her mouth. What if Waverly doesn’t want to see where Nicole came from. Maybe she’s rushing things. Maybe this is just a fling while they’re on this trip and things will go back to the way they were when they get home. 

“I’d love that,” Waverly smiles. She slides forward in her seat until her knees are nestled between the redhead’s. Waverly places her hands on Nicole’s legs, leaning in further to kiss her. The kiss doesn’t last long. Nicole looks around, making sure no one else has shown up. When she sees that they’re still alone, she doesn’t hesitate to lean back in, kissing Waverly softly on the lips. 

Nicole deepens the kiss, only slightly, in fear that the boat will tip too far. She feels Waverly’s tongue brush lightly against her own. It takes a lot for her to hold back, not moving too much toward Waverly in the boat. She feels Waverly lift from her seat and pulls away, watching her.

She feels her heartbeat start to race as the boat rocks in the water. Waverly must have seen the panicked look on her face because she quickly sits back down. “Sorry,” Waverly says. “I wasn’t trying to scare you.” 

“I’m fine,” Nicole says, but she’s totally unconvincing. Waverly laughs and takes Nicole’s hands in her own. 

“It’s okay,” Waverly says. Nicole relaxes a little and pulls Waverly toward her, not stopping when she feels the boat shift underneath them. Waverly sits on the bench next to Nicole. She turns to face the redhead, smiling back at her. 

Nicole smiles back at her, sliding her hand to the side of her head, tangling her fingers in the brunette’s hair. They lean in toward each other, simultaneously, meeting in the middle. There’s a distant sound of thunder, but they don't pay any attention to anything but each other. 

They spend time in between kissing chatting idly, enjoying the quiet space away from the rest of their class. After a while, Nicole feels like the area might be too quiet. She looks up at the sky over them that has now turned from a fairly clear, blue sky to a much cloudier, darker sky. There’s another crack of thunder before raindrops start to lightly fall from the sky. 

“We better get out of here,” Waverly says, as she quickly moves back into her seat. She grabs the paddles and starts to row them back toward the shore. 

The rain comes down lightly at first, but quickly starts to get heavier. Nicole takes the paddles from Waverly, helping her rowing the pair back to the shore as quickly as she can. She looks up at Waverly, who is now laughing, and she can’t help but laugh herself. The beautiful brunette in front of her is now dripping from the rain and all she wants to do is kiss her. She notices there is no one else on the lake, they must have listened to the warning signs of the thunder in the distance. 

By the time they reach the shore, they climb out much quicker than they got in. Nicole takes Waverly’s hand, helping her out of the boat before the pair takes off toward their cabin. When they arrive at the porch, they stop to look at each other and can’t help but laugh at their appearance. There’s not an inch of them that’s dry anymore, the fabric of their clothing is clinging to every extremity. 

Nicole pulls the cabin door open, gesturing to Waverly to go in first. The brunette takes the offer and enters the cabin with Nicole trailing right behind her. Laughter surrounds them as the door shuts behind them. 

“Man, you two are a mess!” Rosita cackles from the other side of the room. They glare back at her for a moment. 

“Nicole is never going to want to go out in a boat ever again,” Waverly teases.

“I thought you weren’t afraid of the rain,” Chrissy calls out from across the room. Nicole glares back at her. 

“I never said I wouldn’t go back in the boat,” Nicole says. She turns toward Waverly. “I’ll go again if you take me,” she says. She hears Chrissy making gagging noises from where she sits and laughs when Waverly replies to her with her middle finger. 

“Haught, you’re so soft,” Rosita teases. Nicole doesn’t try to fight it. She just shrugs and wraps her arms around Waverly from behind. She realizes how cold Waverly is as soon as she does it. She feels her shiver in her arms. Their wet clothes continue to stick to their bodies. Nicole pulls at her clothing a bit. 

“I’m gonna shower,” Waverly says. She runs her hands through her wet hair. 

Nicole nods. She removes her sweatshirt from her body and is now wearing a tank top. “Do you want me to wait?” She asks, not wanting to invade on Waverly’s personal space. She feels a rush of cold air hit her bare arms, sending a shiver through her body.

“Don’t be silly you’re freezing,” Waverly tells her. “You should come take one too,” she says, gesturing over her shoulder toward the showers. Nicole notices everyone else’s eyes widen in response to the statement. Was she suggesting they shower together? She knows there’s more than one shower stall in the bathroom, but now she can’t get the thought of Waverly showering with her out of her mind. 

“Um, yeah,” Nicole stutters. She sees her friends snickering to each other as the brunette heads toward the showers. She swallows hard and shakes her head at the others as she follows her into the showers. 

She stops when she sees Waverly start to peel the wet clothing off of her body, without warning. She’s seen Waverly in a bathing suit, so seeing her in her underwear isn’t much different, but that was before she felt the brunette’s body against her own. It was before she knew what it was like to actually kiss Waverly, other than just thinking about it. 

Her mouth is dry and she feels like she can’t peel her eyes off of Waverly’s abs. The rainwater is still causing her skin to be damp and it glistens under the lights in the room. She sees Waverly catch her staring and feels a warmth wash over her cheeks. Nicole slowly peels her wet tank top from her body, leaving her in her sports bra on top.

Her brain is foggy as she tries to think straight and rationally. She knows this thing between the two of them is still new and undefined, but at the same time, she can’t help but constantly crave more. She sees a smile grow on Waverly’s face as she takes a step closer to her, reaching her hand out for the redhead. Nicole’s fingers brush lightly against Waverly’s before they curl around each other, lacing together. 

She feels Waverly’s spare hand on her side, fingers brushing lightly against her cold, bare skin before her hand mounts firmly on her hip, pulling her closer. Despite their skin being cold against each other, Nicole feels a warmth surge through her body and she is unable to stop herself from kissing Waverly. 

The kiss is hard and desperate like she can’t get enough. She moves her free hand to the back of Waverly’s head, tangling her fingers in her wet hair. Waverly quickly lets go of her hand, sliding it over Nicole’s abs, further up her torso. Nicole feels a jolt of electricity through her body and takes a sharp breath in between kisses. 

She feels herself losing control as her hands move from Waverly’s hair to her abs. She feels the muscles contract under her touch as a moan escapes from the brunette’s mouth. The sound encourages Nicole’s hands to travel further up the brunette’s body, thumbs brushing just under her bra line. She starts to trail kisses down Waverly’s jawline to her neck. She feels the brunette tilt her head back, allowing her more access as she moves her hand to Waverly’s breast. 

Nicole’s brain nearly short circuits when she feels Waverly mimic the same movements on her own body. She feels heat rush through her body, beginning to warm her cold skin. She takes a deep breath in and returns her lips to Waverly’s mouth, tongues immediately brushing against each other. It takes almost everything in her to do what she does next. 

“Waves,” she whispers against the brunette’s mouth. “Waves,” she repeats herself as Waverly continues to kiss her for a moment. “Hey,” she says, pulling away slightly. 

Waverly groans and opens her eyes, pulling further away. “I know,” the brunette sighs. Nicole moves her hands to Waverly’s hips, stilling her movements. 

“I want this,” Nicole says in a hushed tone. She leans her forehead against the brunette’s. “But not like this. I don’t want our first time to be in a cabin bathroom, on our senior trip, with our friends on the other side of the door,” she says as she points at the door. 

Waverly presses a soft kiss against the side of Nicole’s mouth. “Thank you,” she says. Nicole wraps her arms around the brunette’s shoulders, pulling her closer to her body. She feels like her skin is on fire against Waverly’s. Waverly leans further into Nicole, tilting her head up, kissing her softly.

They pull apart slowly and make their way to separate showers. Nicole shuts the curtain in the stall before shedding off the rest of her damp clothing, leaving it on a bench outside of the shower. She turns the water on, testing the temperature before slipping underneath the water, letting it cascade down her body. 

When the flowing water rolls over her body, she feels traces of Waverly’s hands on her skin. She closes her eyes and allows the water to cascade over her face and down her body. Taking a deep breath in, she lets it out slowly, trying to push her current thoughts out of her head. She knows she needs to compose herself before she makes her way back out into the cabin with her friends, acting like nothing happened. 

It doesn’t take long for her to actually wash her body in the shower, but she spends most of her time standing under the hot water. She feels her body finally start to thaw, not realizing how cold she really was from getting stuck in the rain. She swears she can feel the blood in her body redistribute amongst her body. 

She hears Waverly turn her shower off and realizes she’s been standing under the warm water for too long. She finishes rinsing off her body and turns her water off as well. She grabs her towel and dries herself off, throwing on some dry clothes. “Hey, Nicole?” Waverly calls out. 

Now fully dressed, Nicole slides open the curtain to the shower stall. “Yes?” She asks. Waverly jumps back, startled. “Sorry, did I scare you?” Nicole asks. She reaches out, taking Waverly’s hand in her own. 

“I just didn’t expect you to come out of there so quickly,” Waverly laughs. “How was your shower?” 

“I can finally feel my extremities,” Nicole laughs, waving her free arm out in front of her. Waverly laughs and leads Nicole back out into the cabin to see their friends sitting around the table, playing poker. The group looks up simultaneously as they enter the room. 

“Man,” Rosita calls them out first. “It’s about time!” The group breaks out into laughter. Nicole and Waverly roll their eyes at them. 

“So how was it?” Chrissy asks. Waverly’s eyes widen and she stops in her tracks. Nicole isn’t sure what to say, assuming that Chrissy is insinuating that more happened than it did. 

“What?” Waverly asks. She takes a seat next to Chrissy at the table. Chrissy has Rosita break out into laughter again. “You guys are ridiculous!” Waverly huffs. “Deal me in.” 

Nicole laughs from behind Waverly and takes the empty seat next to Robin. “Deal me in too,” she says. Rosita shuffles the cards, handing them out around the table. 

“So, like, are you going to tell us what happened?” Chrissy asks.

“We showered,” Waverly says, nonchalantly. She picks up her cards from the table and scans over the cards that have been flipped on the table. 

“Together?” Rosita asks. 

“No,” Nicole says with a laugh. 

“Not at all?” Chrissy ask. 

“Oh my god!” Waverly groans. “Why does it matter?” She asks. 

Robin then reaches his hand out toward Chrissy. “Told you guys,” he says. “Pay up!” 

“You guys were out here betting on us?” Waverly huffs. Nicole can’t help but laugh, shaking her head at her friends. “Don’t you dare pay him!” Waverly warns. The group laughs and continues playing poker. 

  
  
  


___________

  
  
  


That night there’s no fire because of the rain. Nicole is disappointed, wishing they could have one last night under the stars. She realizes why everyone looks forward to this trip and she has to admit, she’s happy that she came after all her protest. She’s not sure what things are going to be like when they get back to Purgatory, but she wishes they could have a little more time before they get back to reality. 

The next morning, Nicole surprisingly wakes up before Waverly. She opens her eyes to see the brunette curled up next to her. She wraps her arms around her from behind. She realizes it’s only been three mornings of waking up next to Waverly but it’s definitely something she could get used to. 

“We have to get up,” she whispers in Waverly’s ear. The brunette groans and pushes her body further into Nicole’s. The redhead can’t help but laugh. “You’re going to make us miss the bus,” she warns. 

“Let’s just hide here,” Waverly says, eyes still closed. As much as Nicole would love that, she reminds her again it’s time to get back to reality. Waverly whines once more before finally opening her eyes and peeling herself out of bed. “You’re the worst,” she teases. Nicole pretends to be offended as she climbs out of the bed as well. 

After packing up their bags to leave, they make their way out of the cabin. Nicole carries one of Waverly’s bags for her, commenting on the amount of luggage she packed for a weekend trip. Waverly gives her a warning look and she quickly stops teasing her. When they make it onto the bus, they see their group of friends all sitting together toward the back of the bus. Things are a lot different than they were on the way to the camp. 

Jeremy and Robin are in a seat together and Rosita and Chrissy are in separate seats near them. Chrissy looks up when they arrive together. “You’re gonna move us, aren’t you?” She asks. Waverly gives her a look, then looks back at Nicole. Nicole shrugs and grins at Chrissy, giving her a pleading look. 

Rosita laughs, “move over, Nedley.” She stands up and slides in the seat next to Chrissy. Nicole thanks them and slides in next to the window, allowing Waverly to sit in the space next to her. 

After the bus starts moving, it doesn’t take long for all the entire group to fall asleep except Nicole, she pulls out her headphones and is about to put them on when she hears a male voice come from over the seat in front of her. 

“I’m not sure what you think is going to actually happen here, but you should probably stop dreaming,” he says. Nicole cringes and looks up in front of her. She glances over at Waverly, who is leaning against her body, sleeping on her shoulder. 

“I’m not sure what you’re talking about, Champ,” Nicole says to him. She’s slightly nervous that she’s going to say something wrong with Waverly unable to defend herself so she is careful about what she says. 

“Everyone knows Waverly and I are meant to be,” he tells her. She can’t help but laugh at that statement. She’s heard things about Waverly and Champ since she got to the town, but she has never once seen Waverly take much of an interest in the boy. 

“Does Waverly know that?” She asks. She feels Waverly shift slightly next to her. She looks down to see she’s still fast asleep. 

“Look, this thing will never work,” Champ continues. “You’re not one of us.” 

“You say that like it’s a bad thing,” Nicole says with a laugh. One thing she has never tried to be is one of them. 

“You think you’re so funny,” Champ huffs. “Waverly is going to see right through you and realize you’re nothing more than a poor, foster kid from the city.” His words sting less than he probably wants them to. 

“How much do you actually know Waverly to think she’s like that?” Waverly is one of the few people to never look at her like that. “Look, Champ, Waverly can be friends with whoever she wants to be friends with,” she tells him, still not trying to give out too much information without the brunette fully present. 

“You think I’m dumb?” Champ asks. 

Nicole laughs. She can’t help herself when she says, “that’s up for debate.” Champ huffs at her, she feels like she can see steam coming from his ears when he continues to not get a rise out of her. 

“Wait until her father hears about this, then we’ll see how much she really likes you,” he spits. Nicole stops for a moment. Her father does have a lot to say about what she does and doesn’t do. Would that really affect the way she treats Nicole once they’re back home? 

Champ laughs when Nicole doesn’t respond and sits back down. She starts thinking about her weekend with Waverly. She thinks about the romantic setting, the woods, the fire, even the rain. She’s suddenly unsure if those factored in to the reason Waverly finally showed her feelings for Nicole. If that’s true, is everything about to change? 

She swallows hard, her mouth suddenly dry again. They pass the town sign and she knows they’re almost at the school. She gently shakes Waverly, attempting to wake her up. Waverly smiles up at her, easing some of her anxiety. “Sorry,” the brunette says softly. Nicole smiles at her and brushes a loose hair behind her ear. 

“Don’t be,” she responds. “We’re almost back,” she tells her. 

Waverly wraps her arms around the redhead’s middle and Nicole feels her squeeze tightly. “I don’t want this to end,” Waverly says. 

“It doesn’t have to,” Nicole assures her. She hopes that Waverly is willing to continue to give her a chance, even when they’re back in their everyday lives. She knows she’s willing to do whatever it takes. 

“I mean the weekend,” Waverly says with a small laugh. “This part doesn’t have to end,” she smiles. Nicole breathes a small sigh of relief, hoping it’s not too noticeable. Waverly leans in and kisses her on the cheek, releasing more anxiety from her body. 

“Good,” Nicole says with a smile. 

The bus comes to a stop in the school parking lot and the students start to pile off, heading for their cars or people that are there to pick them up. Their group is the last one off the bus and they see the parking lot is full of people. Nicole stands in between Chrissy and Waverly, scanning the lot for their ride. She is still standing fairly close to Waverly, holding one of her bags again. She hears Waverly sigh and looks to her left to see Ward Earp, waiting near the cars. 

“I thought Wynonna would come get me,” she groans. Nicole swallows hard as they head that way to bring Waverly’s bags to the car. She tries not to make eye contact with the man but doesn’t want to be rude. She says ‘hello’ to him and surprisingly receives one back. It’s sure not that friendly, but it’s something. She sets Waverly’s bag in the trunk of the car and watches as Waverly gives Chrissy a hug goodbye like they wouldn’t be most likely seeing each other later that night. 

Waverly then turns to Nicole. Nicole is nervous that her dad is going to make a big deal out of it, but opens her arms to receive the hug that is coming her way anyway. She feels Waverly squeeze her a little tighter like she doesn’t want to let go. She tells her she’ll see her soon before they separate. She hears Waverly’s father cough like he’s trying to gain his daughter’s attention and Waverly pulls away, not making eye contact with the man. 

As Nicole and Chrissy turn to walk away, she overhears Ward, who doesn’t appear to try to be quiet, say something about the hug. She hears Waverly start to defend herself and Nicole before they’re too far out of earshot so fully make out the words they’re saying. 

She sees Chrissy head for a car on the other side of the parking lot. Randy pops the trunk open and helps the girls load their bags into the car. He asks about their trip and they both tell him they had a good time. Nicole climbs into the back seat of the car and as they pull out of the lot, she sees Ward drive by. She catches a glimpse of Waverly in the front seat, turned to look out the window. She hopes she hasn’t caused any more issues between her and her father and immediately misses being around her. 


	12. Chapter 12

Nicole isn’t home long before she starts to receive texts from Waverly telling her that she wants to come over. Nicole laughs to herself, but she doesn’t mind. She’s unsure what to do with herself now that she’s back home. All she can think about is Waverly. 

She thinks about the first night by the fire and the conversation they had about trying to please everyone else. She thinks about the look on Ward’s face when he saw his daughter hug Nicole. She wonders what it would be like when he finds out there’s more going on between them than he thinks. She wonders what else he said to Waverly after the hug. She wonders if Waverly told him anything about them. 

She can’t stop thinking about what could be happening at the Earp house at this moment. She starts driving herself crazy with thoughts of Waverly getting yelled at because of her. Her thoughts then shift back to her conversation with Champ on the bus. She knows he was just trying to get under her skin, but it’s hard not to let him sometimes. 

She lays back on her bed, feeling the exhaustion from the weekend. Her body relaxes easily with the feeling of the soft material underneath her. She lays her head on her pillow, feeling her eyes start to close. She doesn’t fight it long before she falls asleep. 

Nicole isn’t sure how long she’s been asleep before she is startled awake by a knock at the door. She shifts in her bed, still partially asleep. The knock comes again before she calls out for the person to come in. The door swings open and Waverly appears in the doorway. Nicole opens her eyes further at the sight of the brunette, gesturing for her to come in.

Waverly looks upset and Nicole quickly climbs out of the bed, making her way toward the brunette. Waverly shuts the door behind her and turns back toward Nicole. Nicole is concerned when Waverly doesn’t speak, but buries her face against the redhead’s chest as she opens her arms and wraps them around her. 

“Waves?” Nicole asks. She looks down toward the brunette, but can’t see her face. There’s concern in Nicole’s tone as she tries gently to get her to lift her head. “Hey,” she says, leaning back a bit to see Waverly better. 

“Sorry,” Waverly finally speaks. She looks up at the redhead, but doesn’t remove her arms from around her torso. “I just missed you.”

“I missed you too,” Nicole admits. She kisses Waverly’s forehead, gaining a soft smile from her. “You seemed upset when you came in though, is everything okay?” she asks, not dismissing her concern for the brunette’s appearance when she first arrived. 

“It’s fine,” Waverly tries to brush it off, she moves away from the redhead, sitting down at the end of the bed. Nicole notices that she’s not making eye contact with her.

“Waves,” she says. She walks over toward where Waverly is sitting. She lowers herself down in front of her, attempting to gain eye contact. “Talk to me.”

“I have nothing to talk about, Nicole,” Waverly huffs. Nicole is thrown off a little by her tone, but continues to be patient with her. “I’m fine.”

“You don’t seem fine,” Nicole says. She reaches out for Waverly’s hand, rubbing circles with her thumb on her soft skin. 

“You don’t know me well enough to know when I’m fine and not fine,” Waverly tries to argue but doesn’t pull her hand away. Nicole grows slightly frustration with the resistance, but can’t help but laugh a little at the comment. She may not know her well yet, but reading Waverly is something that came fairly natural to her rather quickly. 

“What’s so funny?” Waverly asks. Her tone is less abrasive and more confused. Nicole can tell she has something to talk about and wishes she would just be open with her. 

“Sorry,” Nicole says. “But I think I do know you well enough to tell when you’re upset,” she admits confidently. 

“Okay, prove it,” Waverly challenges her. 

“Okay,” Nicole starts. “When you’re upset your eyebrows do this thing. They tense up right here,” she points to the middle of Waverly’s forehead, gently brushing her fingers across the skin between her eyebrows. She sees Waverly try to relax her face, causing her to smile. “Even when you try to pretend things are fine, there’s still this one small tense spot,” Nicole tells her. “You blink more when you’re upset, it’s fairly subtle, but I notice. But the number one indicator is you try not to look me in the eye when something is wrong,” she says. “It’s like you don’t want me to see, but I do.” 

Waverly narrows her eyes at the redhead. Nicole tries not to smile but she can’t help it. She’s finally been letting herself feel for Waverly what she’s been trying to suppress since the beginning of the school year and it’s hard for her to cover it up. She feels Waverly move her hands, lacing her fingers between hers. She smiles at the redhead, leaning in to kiss her. 

“I’m freaking out,” Waverly finally admits. Nicole gives her a confused look.

“Why?” the redhead asks. She doesn’t let go over the brunette’s hands, continuing to focus on what she is saying. 

“I can’t stop thinking about you, I miss you when I’m not around you,” Waverly starts frantically listing off things to Nicole. 

“And?” Nicole asks. She doesn’t hear anything bad coming out of Waverly’s mouth so she is still a little confused at what the issue is. 

“And what?” Waverly asks. She snaps a little and Nicole continues to remain calm.

“Why are you freaking out?” she asks. 

“I just told you!” Waverly groans. She throws her hands in the air, letting them drop back onto her lap. Nicole stands up from the position she is and moves to take a seat next to Waverly on the bed. 

“Waves,” Nicole says, softly.

“What?!” Waverly says, her tone displaying frustration. 

“Come here,” Nicole says. She reaches her arm out, inviting the brunette to lean into her side more. When she does, Nicole wraps her arm around Waverly’s shoulder, pulling her close to her body. “Okay so what’s really going on?” she asks 

“I really like you, Nicole,” Waverly tells her.

“Well, I really like you too,” Nicole tells her. She still doesn’t see the issue here. 

“I don’t know what to do with that,” Waverly admits. She feels the sigh that Waverly lets out as she continues to lean against her.

“I can think of a few things,” Nicole says. Probably not a good time for dirty comments, but she can’t help herself.

“I’m serious, Nicole!” Waverly says. She laughs a little and nudges Nicole with her shoulder. 

“I know, I know, I’m sorry,” Nicole says, apologetically. “What do you want to do with that?” she asks.

“I want to not have to worry about disappointing people,” Waverly admits. It’s hard for Nicole to hear that she’s the cause of disappointment, but she tries to push those feelings aside to continue to hear the girl out. “You know my dad isn’t going to be keen on us being together.” 

“I know,” Nicole admits. “Maybe I can win him over like I won you over,” she says, hopefully. 

The truth is, the idea of trying to impress Waverly’s father scares the shit out of her. She’s never really had to deal with parents before, especially not parents who don’t even look at her as being anywhere near good enough for their daughter. 

“That didn’t take much,” Waverly says with a laugh. “He just doesn’t see things the way I see them,” she says. “Ever.”

“I’m not going to do anything that makes you uncomfortable or puts you in a weird position with your family,” Nicole assures her. “You can hold all the cards if you need.” Waverly lifts herself off of the redhead’s body just enough so Nicole is able to see her eyes. There’s a trace of tears in her eyes that causes a pain in the redhead’s chest. Nicole lightly brushes Waverly’s cheek with her thumb, pressing a soft kiss against the corner of her mouth. “I’m not going anywhere,” Nicole reminds her. 

“This was much easier when we were camping,” Waverly tells her. 

“What do you mean?” Nicole asks. 

“We could be in our own little world when we were there,” Waverly says. “This is reality,” she sighs. 

“Well, it doesn’t have to stop because of reality,” Nicole tells her. The last thing she wants is for Waverly to turn her away because it’s not going to always be easy. She wants her to know she’s willing to fight for her. 

“Oh, I know,” Waverly says. Nicole breathes a sigh of relief at the confession. “Trust me, I don’t want this to end.” She leans in, kissing Nicole. Nicole can’t help but smile into the kiss, wanting so badly to deepen it, but she doesn’t. 

“Then it won’t,” Nicole says. She watches as Waverly stands from the bed and stands in front of her. Nicole quickly places her hands firmly on Waverly’s hips. She’s unsure of the brunette’s next move is. Waverly moves so she is straddling Nicole’s thighs, knees resting on either side of her on the bed. Nicole welcomes her, wrapping her strong arms around Waverly’s middle. She feels the brunette’s hands on either side of her face, fingers tangling in her hair as she brings her face closer to Nicole’s. Before their lips can touch, Nicole whispers, “be my girlfriend.” 

She nearly topples over with the force behind the kiss she receives next. Waverly giggles as she tries to keep them balanced. Giving in, Nicole leans backwards, pulling the brunette back on top of her. It doesn’t take much for her to flip them over, hovering over Waverly. She stops for a moment to appreciate how beautiful the brunette looks. Her hair flows perfectly on the bed next to her, her eyes glisten in the sunlight beaming in through the window, squinting as she smiles. 

“So is that a yes?” Nicole asks. She feels like she already knows the answer to the questions, but asks for confirmation anyway. Waverly looks up at Nicole, a huge grin on her face and nods. 

“That’s a hell yes,” she says, causing Nicole to laugh. She doesn’t waste time before she reconnects their lips, deepening it quickly. 

They spend the rest of the next hour or so in Nicole’s room together. They talk about what it’s going to be like going back to school as a couple. Nicole still has what Champ said in the back of her head but she’s afraid to bring it up, he doesn’t know what he’s talking about. She feels like she sees a side of Waverly that he doesn’t get to see and she’s not going to take that for granted. 

She continues to remind her that the ball is in her court and if she doesn’t want people to know yet, she’s not going to force her. Waverly explains that she doesn’t want to keep Nicole a secret. She tells her she’s not sure what she’ll be ready for until they get there, so they decide to take it one step at a time. 

Nicole feels exhaustion start to take over her body again as she lays back on her bed. She’s laying on her side, facing Waverly who is laying next to her. Her eyes become more heavy and she can’t help but close them, forcing them back open. “I interrupted your nap,” Waverly says, her tone is filled with guilt.

“I don’t mind,” Nicole says with a smile. She hears her phone vibrate on the nightstand next to her bed, distracting her for a moment. She reaches over to see who it is. “Your sister is texting me,” she says with a laugh. 

“Wynonna?” Waverly asks as if she doesn’t already know the answer. 

“No, the one that was mean to me at the carnival,” Nicole teases. Waverly looks mortified for a moment. Nicole remembers that she wasn’t there. “Oh yeah, I met your other sister,” she says.

“Oh my god, I’m sorry for anything she said,” Waverly says. Nicole gives her more details about the interaction. Waverly explains that she and Willa have never really gotten along. She’s her father’s favorite and he doesn’t really try to hide that fact. 

Her phone vibrates again and she glances down to see it’s Wynonna again. “What does she want?” Waverly asks. 

“To hang out with me and Rosita,” Nicole tells her as she looks down to read the text messages. “She says we’ve been gone too long,” she laughs. Waverly rolls her eyes and laughs.

“Tell her you’re busy,” Waverly says. 

Nicole pretends to type into her phone, dictating her fake text out loud. “Sorry, I can’t, I’m in bed with your sister,” she teases. Waverly’s eyes widen and she pushes Nicole playfully. 

“You will not!” Waverly warns her. Nicole laughs and shakes her head. 

“No way,” Nicole says. She thinks about how Wynonna has threatened her on several occasions about Waverly. She’s suddenly scared about how they’re going to tell her and what’s going to happen when she finally finds out. “You know she’s going to kick my ass, right?” 

“She will not!” Waverly laughs. “No one is going to touch your ass,” she says as she slides her hand down Nicole’s back. “Except me,” she teases, grabbing Nicole’s ass with her hand. The redhead breaks out into laughter. 

“Deal,” Nicole says as she rolls over closer to Waverly. She tucks her hair behind her ear before brushing her thumb lightly on her cheek. She leans in further, lips meeting softly at first. She feels Waverly’s hand hasn’t moved and she smiles into the kiss.

She moves her hand down Waverly’s side, fingers ghosting the skin just above her hip. They deepen their kiss, tongues brushing, breathing becoming heavier. 

Nicole’s hand trail further up Waverly’s body under her shirt, her fingers feel hot against the brunette’s skin. She pauses for a moment, reading Waverly’s reactions, feeling the brunette leaning into her touch more. She moves her hand further up, gently caressing the brunette’s chest with her thumb, eliciting a soft moan from her. She feels Waverly nip lightly on her bottom lip, driving Nicole more crazy. She stills her hand, trying not to take it further than Waverly is ready for. 

“Oh gross,” Chrissy voice comes from the doorway of the room causing the pair to jump to the point where Nicole almost falls off the bed. She looks over at Waverly who is pulling at her shirt, bringing it back down. 

“Since when don’t you knock?!” Nicole calls out. Chrissy now has the door partially shut and she’s holding it with her hand. 

“Apparently since I didn’t think you’d be mounting my best friend in your bed in the middle of the afternoon!” Chrissy calls back. 

“Should I wait til later?” Nicole jokes. Waverly laughs and playfully pushes Nicole. “You can come in by the way,” Nicole tells Chrissy. 

“You guys are disgusting,” Chrissy says as she enters the room. Waverly shoots her a dirty look. 

“Chrissy!” She yells, causing the blonde to break out into laughter. “What are you doing in here?” 

“Well, I’ve been texting you,” Chrissy huffs. She comes further in the room and glances at the bed like she’s about to sit down. She looks disgusted for a moment, then decides to sit on the desk chair instead. 

“Oh my god,” Waverly huffs. “We didn’t even do anything on the bed!” 

“On the bed?” Chrissy raises an eyebrow at her. Nicole laughs in response to the pair going back and forth with each other. 

“Anywhere! I meant anywhere!” Waverly argues. Chrissy gives her a look, indicating that she doesn’t believe her. Waverly rolls her eyes at the blonde. “Okay, okay, so what did you need?” She asks. 

“I just wanted to see what you were doing, I’m bored,” she sighs. “I figured when you weren’t responding I’d find you here. Now I know to knock,” she laughs. 

“I mean, you usually do,” Nicole shrugs. Waverly laughs. 

They spend the next hour or so talking in Nicole’s room. Nicole is definitely feeling more comfortable with Chrissy than she was before the camping trip. She seems to have gotten the approval from the blonde to share Waverly with her, which she is grateful for. While she has trouble being away from Waverly at the moment, she doesn’t want to monopolize all of her time, taking her away from her best friend. 

They decide on watching a movie together and move downstairs to the couch to watch it with surround sound. Nicole settles in in the corner of the couch, Waverly sitting close to her side. Chrissy puts the movie in and sits on the other side of Waverly. 

Nicole’s phone vibrates again and she realizes she forgot to text Wynonna back. She doesn’t want to lie to her, but she isn’t ready to have that conversation with her yet. She tells her she’s watching a movie at her house and will catch up with her after school tomorrow. Wynonna calls her a loser, but agrees. 

She sets her phone on the end table next to the couch and leans back a little further. Waverly leans further into the redhead’s side and Nicole rests her arm on the back of the couch behind her. She feels Waverly’s hand settle on her thigh and she slides her own hand on top of it, lacing their fingers together. 

Waverly tilts her head up toward Nicole, giving her a silent smile. Nicole feels butterflies in her stomach as she gives her a dimpled smile back. 

“Are you two gonna watch the movie or just make googly eyes at each other the whole time?” Chrissy asks causing them to both turn their heads toward the blonde. They laugh and turn to focus back on the movie. 

About half way through the movie, Nicole can’t help but feel her exhaustion taunting her once more. She tries to fight it for a moment, but finds herself relaxing more and more with Waverly still in her arms. She tries once more to keep her eyes open before she fails and drifts off to sleep.

  
  


———————

  
  


The next day, Nicole has trouble getting back into the idea of wanting to be at school again. The only thing she’s really looking forward to is being able to see Waverly again. Part of her is a little nervous to go back to school now that she is officially dating Waverly, unsure of what it’s going to be like. Another part of her is nervous she’s going to be distracted by thoughts of wanting to make out with her girlfriend against a set of lockers in the school. She shakes her head to free herself of her ridiculous thoughts and gets ready for school. 

When they pull into the parking lot, Chrissy parks the car and they climb out together. It’s a nice change from the beginning of the year that Chrissy actually waits for her now and they walk into the school together. It doesn’t take long before they are greeted by a bubbly Waverly, who they both agree is too cheery for the first day back after their trip. 

“Why are you both so grumpy?” Waverly huffs. They both groan about being back at school and wishing they could still be camping.

As they enter the school, Nicole walks Waverly to her locker before making her way to her own which almost makes her late to first period. Waverly saves her a seat in the back of the room next to her. She slides into the seat quickly, just in time for the last bell to ring. “Thanks,” Nicole says with a smile, receiving a wink back from the brunette. 

As the class goes on, she feels like she’s having trouble focusing on what the teacher is saying. She keeps stealing glances at her girlfriend, hoping she is taking enough notes for Nicole to copy later. 

“Nicole,” Waverly says at the end of class. Nicole stands up from her desk, collecting her books in her arms. “You’re never going to get anything done if you don’t stop staring at me,” Waverly says.

Nicole looks around her to see that they’re basically alone in the back of the room now. “Well, you’re distracting,” Nicole says in a hushed tone. 

Waverly laughs and gives her a warning look. “I’m going to make you sit in the front of the room,” she warns. 

Nicole gives her a shocked look. “You’d make me sit in the front like a nerd?” She teases. Waverly playfully pushes her. Nicole knows Waverly prefers the front of room in most of her classes, compromising with her to sit closer to her. 

Nicole feels Waverly’s fingers linger on her arm after she pushes her. She looks down at the brunette’s hand feeling the warmth of her fingers on her skin. She wants to take Waverly’s hand in her own, but refrains, leaving it up to the brunette. They part ways in the hallway and Waverly tells her she’ll see her in history class. Nicole nods and smiles at the brunette before turning to head up the stairs to her class. 

In history class, Nicole and Waverly learn that they are for sure further along on their project than anyone else. Nicole thinks about how that’s a good thing because she’s going to want to do anything but homework when they spend their time together after school, even though she knows Waverly won’t let her get away with that. She’s grateful that at least being with one of the smartest girls in the school will keep her someone on task with her school work.    
  


After class, they stop by Nicole’s locker to drop off her books before lunch. When the hallway is clear, Waverly grabs Nicole’s hand and pulls her back before she can get too far down the hall toward the cafeteria. Nicole turns and grins at the brunette when she sees her face. Waverly moves up quickly, laying a kiss on the redhead’s lips. The kiss is quick, but sweet. 

“I’ve been dying to do that all day,” Waverly says. Nicole is now standing with her back against the lockers with Waverly standing in front of her, bodies flush together. Nicole doesn’t take any time to look around them, she just continues to stare into Waverly’s eyes. 

“You’re not the only one,” she says. There’s a cough that comes from down the hallway, breaking them from their moment. Waverly moves a little further away from the redhead as she turns her head to see principal Lucado standing nearby with her arms crossed across her chest. 

“Get to class please, ladies,” the woman says. The pair nods at the principal as she turns down another hallway. They make quick eye contact and laugh to each other as they turn toward the cafeteria. 

“I didn’t think you guys were going to show today,” Jeremy says as they walk up to the lunch table. Chrissy and Robin are already sitting at the table with him. Nicole looks over at the table that Chrissy and Waverly usually sit at to see Champ glaring at her. She tries to ignore him and sits down at the table next to her girlfriend, immediately feeling Waverly rest her hand on her leg. 

“We were, uh,” Nicole gestures over her shoulder toward the hallway. 

“We probably already know,” Chrissy says, rolling her eyes at the pair. “I live with you, remember?” she huffs at Nicole. 

“And you still need to learn to knock,” Nicole shrugs, grinning at the blonde. Waverly laughs and agrees. The group spends the rest of the lunch period chatting about Robin’s upcoming Halloween party. Nicole thinks about how she doesn’t normally get into Halloween and hopes that Waverly isn’t going to make her dress up.

Throughout the lunch period, Waverly and Nicole become closer to each other on the bench of the lunch table. Nicole stops thinking so much about what other people might be thinking about them being together. She notices that Waverly leans in to her more, moving her hand to her lower back at times. At one point, they even hold hands on top of the table. She wants to ask her if she’s okay with the public displays of affection, but she doesn’t want to ruin it or call attention to it either. 

After lunch, she doesn’t see much of Waverly until the end of the day. They catch up quickly in between classes when they can, but it’s not much time. At the end of the day, Nicole meets Waverly at her locker. She leans up against the locker next to Waverly’s, watching as she removes her backpack, loading books into it. Waverly shuts the door and takes Nicole by the hand, pulling her down the hallway. Nicole isn’t sure where they’re going, but she’s happy with the finally getting a chance to have contact with Waverly again.

They duck down another hallway and Waverly pulls Nicole in for a kiss. Nicole quickly reciprocates the kiss, not even thinking about anyone else in that moment. When they pull away, she immediately presses another quick kiss against Waverly’s mouth. She wants to keep kissing her, but stops herself. “Hi,” she says with a smile. 

“Hi,” Waverly says. She smiles back at Nicole, continuing to hold her hands down by their sides. “I’m having a hard time not doing that more often,” she admits. 

“Me too,” Nicole laughs. “It’s okay if we don’t tell everyone,” she reminds her. 

“Do you not want to?” Waverly asks. 

Nicole panics internally that she might have said something wrong. “No!” She says quickly. “I don’t care what anybody thinks,” she tells her. “I’m not in a relationship with anyone else.” 

Waverly smiles and presses another kiss against Nicole’s lips. Nicole can’t help but smile. She feels like when she looks at Waverly, she doesn’t see anyone else.

“Well, then,” Waverly says. “If I want to kiss you, I can just kiss you?” she asks.

“Baby,” Nicole says, moving her hands around Waverly’s middle. “You can kiss me whenever you want,” she tells her. She’s slightly surprised to feel Waverly’s lips against hers again so quickly. 

“Deal,” Waverly says as she pulls away. She pulls her phone from her pocket and unlocks it briefly, looking at the time. “I have practice,” she groans. Nicole tells her that she’ll see her later and they share another kiss before they part ways.    
  


As Nicole makes her way out of the school, she sees Wynonna walking across the parking lot. She’s confused at first, wondering why the older Earp is at the school. She looks like she’s on a serious mission and after a moment, Nicole realizes she is walking in her direction. Nicole looks around her for a moment to see if maybe she’s heading toward someone else. When she sees she’s alone, she looks back toward Wynonna to see she is a lot closer now. 

“Haught, we need to talk,” Wynonna says, pulling Nicole by the arm. Nicole panics for a moment. What does she need to talk about? Where is she taking her? Is she mad she wasn’t able to hang out yesterday after the camping trip? She knows about her and Waverly, doesn’t she? “Come on,” Wynonna calls out. “Stop dragging your feet, this is important!”

“Wynonna, listen,” Nicole starts as they get far enough out of range for anyone else to hear. People definitely won’t be able to hear her screams out here. She’s dead. 

“No, Haught, I need you to listen,” Wynonna says sternly. Nicole swallows hard. 

“Okay, but can I just say, this thing, it just sort of happened,” Nicole tries to explain. 

“Oh, you’re telling me,” Wynonna huffs. She puts her hands in the air, quickly dropping them back down to her sides. Nicole watches as the older Earp starts to pace. 

“Something’s just come unplanned, you know?” Nicole continues. She wants Wynonna to give her a chance to explain herself. She wants to tell her that she’s not going to do anything to hurt her sister and she has nothing but her best interest at heart. She wants to tell her how much she likes Waverly, but she doesn’t have a chance when Wynonna continues talking. 

“Unplanned. Ha! That’s for sure!,” Wynonna says, continuing to pace. Nicole isn’t sure why Wynonna is actually this upset about all of this. She did tell her that she didn’t want her to be with Waverly because she saw her first. Was she being serious? Was Wynonna really interested in her?

“But sometimes life throws you good surprises,” Nicole continues to plead her case. She doesn’t want Wynonna to hate her for having feelings for Waverly, she hopes that maybe she can convince her to see it her way. 

“Well, this is a surprise alright,” Wynonna says. “But I don’t know if I’d call it a good thing.” Nicole wishes she would just stop pacing. 

“Well, I would,” Nicole argues. Of course it’s a good thing. Waverly is the best thing to happen in her life in a long time and she is willing to fight so that nothing comes between that. 

“That’s easy enough for you to say!” Wynonna groans. She places her hands over her face for a moment, continuing to pace. “Sometimes you make a decision and you end up carrying around the weight of that for the rest of your life,” she continues rambling. 

“Whoa, slow down,” Nicole says. The rest of her life? She and Waverly have only been together for a short period of time and while she really does like her, she hasn’t thought about what the rest of her life looks like yet. 

“I’m sorry, Haught,” Wynonna huffs. She stops pacing and looks back at the redhead. “This is just all kind of still a shock to me.” 

“Listen, Wynonna, we were going to tell you, we just-” Nicole starts before Wynonna quickly cuts her off. 

“We?” Wynonna asks. Her eyes narrow toward the redhead. “Wait, what are you talking about?” the older Earp asks. She points a warning finger toward the redhead. Nicole immediately becomes nervous.

“What are you talking about?” she retorts. She’s beginning to think they are far from being on the same page. 

“I’m pregnant,” Wynonna finally spits out. She drops her head into her hands again, leaning against a nearby fence. 

“Oh, yeah,” Nicole says. “I’m talking about that,” she tries to quickly take back everything she just said. “Wait, you’re pregnant?!” she asks, realizing what she actually just said.

“No you’re not,” Wynonna points a warning finger at the redhead. “You’re talking about my sister, aren’t you?” 

“Wynonna,” Nicole says, holding her hands up in front of her defensively. “Obviously you have a lot to talk about,” she takes a step back, further away from the brunette. 

“That can wait,” Wynonna says. “What’s going on with you and my sister?” she asks. Nicole groans, not ready to have this conversation. 

“She’s going to kill me now, so probably nothing,” Nicole sighs. She finds herself starting to pace now. 

“Join the club,” Wynonna says. She sinks down to the ground, leaning her back up against the fence, dropping her head into her hands. “She’s going to kill me too,” the brunette groans. 

“So you’re really pregnant?” Nicole asks. She stops pacing and sits on the ground next to Wynonna. Wynonna looks over at her and nods slowly. 

“I don’t know what to do, Haught,” the older Earp admits. Nicole feels a pit in her stomach, unsure what to say to make anything better in this moment for Wynonna. She’s unsure if she’s the first one Wynonna is coming to, but she wants her to know she can confide in her whenever she needs it. 

“Have you told anyone else? She asks. 

“No, I figured you and Rosita would be the last people to judge me about it so I needed to practice,” Wynonna admits. Nicole laughs a little. She’s definitely not going to judge her for something like this with the laundry list of a record that she has on her. 

“You can talk to me anytime,” Nicole assures her. Wynonna nods. “How do you feel about it?” the redhead asks. 

“I don’t know yet,” Wynonna admits. “I mean, Doc is a good guy, but we’re just having fun, you know? But apparently when they say having fun leads to a lifetime commitment, they’re not kidding!” 

The brunette groans again, rubbing her face with her hands. Nicole nods. She’s not sure what else there is to say. Wynonna continues to tell her how her father is most likely going to kill her and talk about how bad it’s going to look for the Mayor to have an unwed, pregnant daughter. 

She selfishly thinks for a moment that maybe this news will take some of the sting away from the news of Waverly and Nicole dating in their father’s eyes. Her thoughts then shift to Waverly, wondering how long it’s going to be before she finds out. “Are you going to tell Waverly?” Nicole asks. She knows it’s not going to be easy for her to keep this a secret for too long. 

“Do you think she’ll be mad?” Wynonna asks. Honestly, she’s unsure why she is asking that. Obviously, Wynonna knows Waverly better than she does. But from what she does know, Waverly is an incredibly patient person.

“I think she’ll have questions,” Nicole admits. “But she loves you, Wynonna,” she says. “She’s going to just want what’s best for you.”

Wynonna groans again. The pair sits in silence for a few more moments before Wynonna asks, “so you and my sister, huh?” Nicole swallows hard before giving in and telling Wynonna how the pair got together. 


	13. Chapter 13

“So, I may have accidentally told your sister about us,” Nicole admits, later that night over the phone. She nervously waits for Waverly’s reply. She’s sure she probably wanted to be able to at least tell her herself. 

“Okay,” Waverly says. Nicole is shocked by the calmness of her voice.

“You’re being really cool about this,” Nicole says as she sits down on her bed, tucking her leg underneath herself. “I didn’t mean to tell her,” she admits. She tries not to go into too much detail, she doesn’t want to let her know about the pregnancy before Wynonna can. 

“Babe, it’s Wynonna, it’s okay,” Waverly says with a small laugh. 

“How do you know it was Wynonna?” Nicole jokes. She hears the sound of Waverly’s laugh come from over the phone. She loves her laugh. 

“Oh yeah?” Waverly asks. “You and Willa have been hanging out now?” She teases. 

“Yeah, I really like the judgmental looks I get from her,” Nicole tells her, sarcastically. She hears Waverly laugh even louder. 

“Yeah, same,” the brunette says with another laugh. 

Nicole is grateful that Waverly never asks her how she accidentally told her sister about them. She notices how easy it’s becoming for Waverly to not want to hide their relationship for people. She knows that she was nervous that she would disappoint people when she finally went for what she wanted, which she was understanding about, but it’s still nice to see Waverly isn’t ashamed of her. 

They end up falling asleep on the phone that night, something Nicole he never done before. Being in a relationship with Waverly seems to already be full of things she’s never done before. The last relationship she was in, well, her only other relationship, was different. They didn’t have the luxury of keeping in contact when they weren’t together. They talked, but communication was never their strong point. She finds it easy to talk to Waverly every chance she gets. 

  
  


——————-

  
  


The month of October is coming to an end and Waverly and Nicole have almost finished their history project for the semester. Production slowed down since they spend most of their time kissing instead of actually working. 

“So have you thought about what you’re wearing to Robin’s party this weekend?” Waverly asks in between kissing and trying to actually work on their history project. 

“What’s there to think about?” Nicole asks. She figures she’ll just find something in her closet to wear. She didn’t plan on doing much preplanning. 

“Nicole, it’s Halloween!” Waverly says, her tone slightly whiny, causing Nicole to laugh.

“Yeah, I don’t really do Halloween,” Nicole says. She’s always down to go to a party, but the dressing up part has never really peaked her interest.

“Who doesn’t do Halloween?” Waverly asks, more shocked than Nicole expects. She’s sure she’s not the only person in the world to not be into Halloween.

“Me,” Nicole says. She can’t help but laugh at the pouty lip she receives from the brunette. “Put that thing away,” she says, pushing Waverly’s lip in with her finger. Waverly laughs and pushes Nicole’s hand away. 

“Will you do it for me?” she asks, blinking her eyes at Nicole. Nicole laughs again and shakes her head at the brunette. “Please?”

“I can try,” Nicole says, shrugging her shoulders. She’s unsure of what she’s actually going to be able to pull off in the next few days, but the look on Waverly’s face isn’t helping her stick with her gut on this one. Waverly squeals and wraps her arms around Nicole’s neck. “What are you going to be?” the redhead asks. 

“It’s a surprise,” Waverly says, placing a quick kiss on her cheek. Nicole doesn’t press the topic any further, clearly noting that Waverly is more into Halloween than she is. She wonders for a moment what other holidays Waverly is going to make her get into more than she’s ever been before. She doesn’t ask yet. She figures that’s a bridge they will cross when they get to it. 

She spends the rest of the week trying to come up with some idea for a Halloween costume. She fears what will happen if she shows up to the party without a costume on. She asks Chrissy for some ideas, but dressing up like a slutty pumpkin isn’t really on Nicole’s list of good ideas. She’d ask Wynonna, but she’s been a little preoccupied with freaking out about her current situation so any time they speak, it’s mostly about how dead she’s going to be when her dad finally finds out that she’s pregnant. 

By the time Friday rolls around, Nicole ends up hanging out with Rosita before the party, trying to throw together something last minute to wear. She’s still unsure what Waverly is going to be, but she’s sure it’s going to be something impressive. Everything Waverly does is impressive. 

“So you’re just wearing your regular clothes?” Nicole asks, noticing Rosita’s outfit really doesn’t look any different than she does on a daily basis. She’s wearing a pair of dark skinny jeans and a tightly fitted, maroon tee shirt underneath a leather jacket. 

“I’m an angsty teen,” Rosita says, giving a little spin. Nicole breaks out into laughter. 

“I thought Halloween is a time to dress up as someone you aren’t already,” she says, giving her a look. She notices the bag in Rosita’s hand and becomes a little nervous about what she has in it. 

“I don’t conform,” Rosita reminds her. “You, however, have a girl you want to impress,” she laughs as she sets the bag on Nicole’s bed and opens it up. “Okay, we have options.” Nicole groans and watches as she starts to pull things out of her bag. 

Nicole immediately protests at the site of a nurse costume that looks like it won’t even cover half of her body. Rosita laughs at her and tells her that one was mostly a joke to get a reaction out of her. Nicole rolls her eyes at her friend and asks for other options. 

“A cop?” Nicole asks, giving her a look.

“You have a lot of experience with them, right?” Rosita asks with a smirk. 

“You’re getting a lot of entertainment out of this, aren’t you?” Nicole huffs. 

“I mean because you live with one!” Rosita tries to protest. Nicole sees right through her. 

“Yeah, sure,” she huffs as she takes the costume from her hands. “Fine, a cop it is,” she says reluctantly. “We should probably leave soon, were going to be late.” 

“These parties go all night,” Rosita reminds her. Nicole looks back at her. “Oh, right,” Rosita says. “You’re whipped now,” she rolls her eyes at the redhead. Nicole ignores her comments and changes into the costume before they make their way out to Rosita’s car, heading to the party. 

When they arrive, Waverly and Chrissy are already inside, drinks in hand. Waverly immediately runs up to Nicole, wrapping her free arm around her waist. “We did shots,” she says with a giggle. Nicole can’t help but laugh and think about how she needs to be on her level. Waverly takes a step back, checking out Nicole’s costume. She’s self conscious about it at first, still not excited about dressing up. She looks down at herself as she feels her girlfriend’s eyes on her. 

“Rosie thought it would be ironic,” Nicole says, shrugging her shoulders. 

Waverly grins as she looks her up and down. “It’s cute,” she tells her. 

Nicole swallows hard when her eyes drift to Waverly’s costume. She’s dressed in a tight, white shirt that hugs every curve of her torso and a white skirt that might be shorter than her cheerleading skirt. Her eyes follow the lines of her body, noticing the tall, white socks that go up to her knees. She feels Waverly place a finger under her chin, causing her to lift her head back up to make eye contact with the brunette. 

She blushes a little, feeling like she’s been caught doing something she shouldn’t. Waverly turns to show her the feathered wings she’s wearing on her back. Nicole smiles. “Baby, you look so hot,” she tells her. 

“Thanks, Waverly says, winking at the redhead. “Come on, let’s get you a drink!” She cheers, dragging Nicole by the collar of her shirt. Nicole laughs and gladly follows her girlfriend toward the kitchen. 

When they make it to the kitchen, they find Robin and Jeremy pouring drinks. Nicole is slightly surprised to see Jeremy at a party and even more surprised to see him drinking. He’s dressed as a character from Harry Potter, which she recognizes quickly thanks to Waverly and Chrissy making her watch the entire collection of movies with them. Robin looks like he’s dressed as some sort of secret agent clad head to toe in a black suit, white button down, black tie and aviator sunglasses.

“Looking fly, Jett,” Nicole says as she pours herself a drink. She takes a sip and continues chatting with her friends in the kitchen. 

One thing Nicole learns throughout the night is that Waverly becomes a lot more handsy when she drinks. They haven’t made an official announcement of their relationship, not that she thinks that’s something that people actually do. Honesty, she doesn’t care what anyone else thinks about her relationship with Waverly. The only thing she cares about is being there with her girlfriend, who she clearly likes a lot based on the fact that she actually showed up in a costume. 

After falling into conversation with Rosita for a while, Waverly tugs on Nicole’s hand to gain her attention. Nicole turns in her direction and sees Waverly gesture for her to follow her. She excuses herself from the conversation with Rosita and follows Waverly toward the back door.

“Everything okay?” Nicole asks as she they make their way outside. Instead of receiving an answer, she receives Waverly’s lips against hers. She reaches out and slides the backdoor closed behind them, continuing to kiss the brunette. “I’ll take that as a yes,” she says when they finally come up for air. 

“Thank you,” Waverly says. She’s grinning from ear to ear. Her breath smells like alcohol, but it’s fruity and sweet, not bitter. Their faces aren’t far apart. Nicole can feel Waverly’s warm breath against her lips, it’s a welcome change from the chill in the air that’s brushing her cheeks. 

“For what?” Nicole asks, she doesn’t feel like she’s done anything worthy of thanks. She just showed up.

“I know you think Halloween is stupid, but you’re here anyway,” Waverly tells her. The slight slur in her words indicates that she’s definitely intoxicated. 

“I don’t think it’s stupid,” Nicole corrects her. “I just have never been one to dress up,” she explains. “I like Halloween parties,” she laughs. 

“Fair enough,” Waverly says. “But you look great.” She wraps her arms further around Nicole’s torso. 

“So do you,” Nicole tells her. “I mean, look at you!” She’s sure her eyes are bugging out of her head by now as Waverly steps back a little further, giving her another full view of her body. “Baby,” is all she manages to get out. 

“What?” Waverly asks as she looks down at her own body in the costume. When her eyes return to Nicole’s, her cheeks are a little red from blushing. 

“You look so,” Nicole pauses for a moment, thinking of the perfect word to describe her girlfriend. A mix of hormones and alcohol decide to take over and she goes with, “sexy.” 

She has time to give Waverly another quick look up and down before the brunette is leaping forward, back into her arms. She laughs at the lack of grace Waverly has when she’s drinking. 

Nicole isn’t sure how much time passes while they’re outside on the deck. She feels Waverly start to shiver and she tells her she needs to go in for another drink. Nicole laughs and agrees. Kissing her once more before they make their way back into the loud party. 

After a few more drinks, Waverly makes her way into the middle of the room to dance. She tries to pull Nicole with her, but she tells her she doesn’t dance. After a little protest, Waverly gives up and ends up dancing with a few of their classmates. Nicole smiles as she watches her girlfriend from a short distance. 

“You gonna dance with your girl?” Chrissy asks as she comes up behind her. Nicole turns to see the blonde standing next to her, holding a drink in her hand, watching Waverly dance. 

“I don’t really dance,” Nicole shrugs. “She can dance, it’s okay,” she tells her. “We don’t have to do everything together.” She turns her attention back to her girlfriend, watching how smoothly she moves to the music. 

“Well, you got Perry moving in on her over there,” Chrissy gestures in Waverly’s direction. 

Nicole notices Perry doing some sort of dancing in the direction of Waverly. “What?” She asks. She doesn’t break eye contact from the pair as Waverly seems to be laughing at something Perry says. 

“I think he thinks he has a chance now that Champ is over there making out with Stephanie,” Chrissy says as she points across the room. Nicole gags a little at the sight of Champ practically feeling up the girl against the wall, kissing with more tongue than she ever wanted to witness. 

“Perry?” She asks, looking back toward Waverly, who continues to dance and converse with the boy. 

“Yeah, Perry,” Chrissy says.

“Perry Crofte?” Nicole repeats. “He barely says two words to Waverly,” she informs her. He sees Perry around her a lot but doesn’t see him personally interact with her. Usually he’s a few feet behind Champ, who likes to do all the talking.

“He’s been in love with her since we were freshmen,” Chrissy says nonchalantly. Nicole breaks her stare toward Waverly and turns to look back at the blonde. Perry has been in love with Waverly for almost four years and she’s just finding this information out now? 

“Then why didn’t she just date him?” Nicole asks. Not that she really wants that answer. She really wants him to just back away from her girlfriend before she finds the desire to hit him.

“Well, he’s too nice and too loyal to his friends,” Chrissy explains. “Champ kind of put claws in her and everyone else backed off.” 

Nicole thinks about the idea of Champ putting his hands anywhere near her girlfriend. “Gross,” She huffs. “And does Waverly know he likes her?” Nicole asks, turning her attention back to the pair and gestures toward Perry.

“I don’t know,” Chrissy tells her. “That girl hasn’t stopped talking about you since the first day of school,” she says. Nicole quickly turns her head toward Chrissy, seeing her eyes slightly widen like she said something wrong. 

“Wait, really?” Nicole is slightly surprised. In the beginning of the year she thought she frustrated the brunette because of her lack of excitement about their project. 

“I really need to learn how to shut my mouth when I drink,” Chrissy says, covering her own mouth her her hand.

Nicole laughs. “I mean, you didn’t really tell me too much of a secret, I already know she likes me,” she assures her. 

“I bet she’d like you more if you go dance with her,” Chrissy says, playfully nudging the redhead with her elbow. 

“You’re persistent,” Nicole says. It’s not that she doesn’t want to go see Waverly, she just knows she’s going to look like a fool dancing next to her. Waverly clearly has a background in dance and Nicole clearly does not. 

“I know my best friend,” Chrissy says. “She likes it when people show interest in things she likes. Even if they don’t like it. She likes it when they try,” she hints. 

“Thanks for the tip,” Nicole tells her. She takes another swig of her drink and decides to join her girl on the other side of the room. As she makes her way up to her, she notices Perry has moved a little closer to Waverly. Waverly is clearly trying to leave a distance between the two of them, but continues to talk to him until Nicole is standing next to them and her attention shifts in that direction. 

“May I?” Nicole asks, reaching her hand out to Waverly. Waverly’s eyes widen and a grin grows on her face. Nicole tries to be subtle when she moves her body slightly in between Perry and Waverly. 

“Uh, yeah,” Perry says, backing away. Nicole smiles back at him.

“I thought you didn’t dance,” Waverly says. She takes Nicole’s hands in her own, lining her body up in front of the redhead. 

“Well, look at me,” Nicole laughs as she starts to attempt to move her hips to the music. “But you dance, so here I am.” 

“Here,” Waverly says. She places her hands on either side of Nicole’s hips. “Listen to the beat,” she says. Nicole has trouble hearing the music when she feels her girlfriend’s hands on her body. She looks down at Waverly’s hips, trying to follow her movements. She’s sure she looks like a fool trying to keep up with the dance moves of the school’s head cheerleader, but it doesn’t take much for her to block the thoughts of other people watching her out of her mind. “See!” Waverly says. Her voice is cheery and full of excitement. “You’re getting it!” 

“Mostly because you’re doing it for me,” Nicole laughs. She can’t help but continue to get lost in the brunette in front of her, the way she moves, the smile on her face, the squint of her eyes. She feels herself feeling something for Waverly she doesn’t think she’s ever felt for anyone before. 

They dance to a few more songs before they’re joined by their friends and decide to hang out outside for some fresh air. Nicole feels a slight ache in her legs from the dancing. “Do you want a drink?” She asks Waverly, gesturing toward the kitchen. Waverly nods and kisses her on the cheek. 

“Thanks, baby,” Waverly says before she follows the group outside. Nicole finds herself watching Waverly as she walks away. She has trouble breaking her stare from the way the skirt flows just barely down the back of her thighs, the bare skin on her muscular legs peeking above her socks, the sexy swing in her step as she oozes with confidence. 

“Man, you got it bad.” Nicole turns to see Jeremy standing next to her with two empty cups. 

“Oh yeah?” Nicole replies. “And who’s that other cup for?” She teases. Jeremy looks down at the cups in his hands. 

“What if I’m double fisting?” He retorts with a grin. 

“I’m just impressed you’re out tonight!” Nicole says, nudging him with her elbow. They turn toward the kitchen to refill the cups. 

“Robin asked me to come,” he says. “He’s hard to say no to.” He tries to hide the smile that’s forming in his face as his cheeks become a few shades redder. 

“He’s a good guy,” Nicole tells him. “Are you two like official now?” She asks. She looks over to gauge the reaction of the boy standing next to her. His face twists a little like he’s thinking of the right way to put it. 

“Maybe, sort of?” He responds with a shrug. “I guess I should expect complicated when I decide I like the captain of the football team,” he laughs. 

“Don’t let those other guys get to you,” Nicole tells him, gesturing toward Champ and some of the other football players. “They don’t matter.” 

“Thanks,” Jeremy says with a smile. “Man, we’re breaking all sorts of high school stereotypes. Me with the captain of the football team and you with the head cheerleader,” he laughs. 

“People probably envy us,” she teases in a slightly sarcastic tone. Jeremy laughs and follows Nicole back through the house toward the back door. 

When they make it outside, they find the group sitting around a fire pit in the backyard. She makes her way up to them, handing Waverly one of the cups that’s in her hands. The night air is cool and refreshing. Nicole wishes she was dressed in one of her flannels, rather than the uncomfortable polyester of the costume she has on. She wonders how Waverly isn’t freezing at this point in her costume. She assumes it has a lot to do with the warm liquor flowing through her body. 

She takes a seat next to Waverly by the fire, but it doesn’t take long before she feels the brunette settle into her lap. She can’t help but smile and wraps her arms around Waverly’s small frame, pulling her closer to her body. Waverly turns her head and tucks it into Nicole’s neck. 

“Tired?” Nicole asks. She looks at the brunette, but only has a view of the top of her head. She pulls back slightly to try to see her face a little better. Waverly tilts her head a little and Nicole notices the smile on her face. 

“Drunk,” Waverly giggles. Nicole can’t help but laugh at how adorable her girlfriend is. “Can I stay with you tonight?” Waverly whispers in her ear. Nicole feels Waverly’s breath against her ear, causing a shiver down her spine. 

“You’re coming over tonight anyway, right?” Nicole asks. Her voice is hushed and she remains leaned in close to Waverly. 

“Yeah, but I mean in your room,” Waverly says. Nicole swallows hard. She thinks about spending the night alone with Waverly. Sure, they’ve slept in the same bed before, but never completely alone and never this drunk. 

“Of course,” she whispers back, trying to push thoughts of what could possibly happen out of her mind. 

“Are you guys playing truth or dare out here without me?” Champ’s voice pierces through the air. Nicole groans internally at the thought of him joining them at the fire.

“No,” Robin says quickly. Nicoke looks in his direction, noticing Jeremy sliding slightly away from Robin, an uncomfortable look on his face. She wants to yell. She wants to tell Champ off. 

“Waiting for me?” Champ asks. Nicole turns in Champ’s direction, noticing Stephanie with her arms around his. 

“No,” Robin repeats. His tone is flat and it makes everyone else laugh. 

“Whatever,” Champ huffs. Nicole secretly hopes he doesn’t take a seat by the fire. She watches them more intensely than she means to. She feels Waverly nudge her, gaining her attention. 

“Down girl,” Waverly whispers, jokingly. Nicole turns toward her girlfriend who is still sitting in her lap. “Don’t let him bother you, baby,” Waverly tells her. 

“He doesn’t,” she lies, stealing another glance at Champ. He’s standing there, facing the group at the fire, with a smug look on his face. She watches as Stephanie whispers something in his ear, making his eyes widen. He turns toward her and grins before they disappear back toward the house. Nicole is grateful for this. 

The rest of the time at the party is spent with her group of friends, sitting around the fire, chatting idly. They’re only there for another hour or so before they head back to the Nedley house with Chrissy. 

When they arrive at the house, Waverly tells Nicole she will meet her in her room before she disappears into Chrissy’s room for a bit. Nicole makes her way down the hall into her own room, immediately stripping off her Halloween costume and tossing it in a heap in the corner of her room.

She slides on a pair of shorts and a sports bra and takes a second to look at herself in the mirror. Her hair is a bit of a disheveled mess, she runs her fingers through it trying to fix it a bit. Her cheeks are still slightly flushed, probably from the alcohol. 

She digs through her closet to find a t-shirt to wear. As she reaches out to grab one, she hears her bedroom door open and close behind her. “Sorry, Chrissy was chatting my ear off,” Waverly says before she stops in her tracks at the site of Nicole standing there without a shirt on. Nicole turns and smiles sheepishly at the brunette. “Sorry,” Waverly apologizes. 

“It’s okay,” Nicole says. She can feel Waverly eyeing her up and down. She doesn’t know if she should make her way over to her as is or not. She decides to throw the t-shirt over her head before gesturing for Waverly to come toward her. “You sure you don’t want to stay with Chrissy?” She asks. It’s not that she doesn’t want Waverly in her bed, she just doesn’t want to come in between their friendship either. 

“Are you giving up an opportunity to have me in your bed?” Waverly teases. 

“Oh, absolutely not!” Nicole says. She reaches out her hand for Waverly to take. The brunette takes the offer and Nicole pulls her closer to her body. 

“Smooth,” Waverly says, grinning back at the redhead. Nicole smiles and leans down, pressing a soft kiss against Waverly’s lips. She feels Waverly push up on her toes, leaning into the kiss more. Nicole does her best to control her actions, despite the alcohol coursing thing her body making it difficult for her to make good choices. 

She brings her hands to either side of Waverly’s cheeks, cupping her face. She briefly loses focus when she feels Waverly’s hands slide from her hips, up her sides, thumbs brushing across her abs. Before it gets too far, Nicole pulls away, resting her forehead against the brunette’s. She steadies her breathing against Waverly’s. 

After a moment, she turns and gesturing toward the bed, asking if Waverly wants to lay down. Waverly nods and turns toward the bed. 

“Can I tell you something?” She asks as she climbs into Nicole’s bed, under the covers. She rolls over on her side and Nicole climbs in next to her. Nicole lays her head down on the pillow, facing her girlfriend. 

“Anything,” she says. 

“I really like you,” Waverly says, a huge grin growing on her face. Her fingers brush lightly on Nicole’s cheek, tracing down her jawline.

“I really like you too,” Nicole tells her as she turns her head in the direction of Waverly’s fingertips, kissing them gently. “Is that what you wanted to tell me?” 

“No, but I got distracted,” Waverly admits. 

“You’re cute,” Nicole tells her, kissing the brunette on the cheek. 

“I drank more than I usually do tonight,” Waverly says. She seems a little ashamed by this statement. Nicole tried to read her a little more, but can’t at first. 

“Why’s that?” She asks. 

“Wynonna told the family she’s pregnant and things have been a little,” she pauses, thinking about what word fits best for what she is trying to say. “Tense at home,” she explains. 

Nicole isn’t sure how to react. She never told Waverly that she already knows about the pregnancy. She didn’t want to give out information that Wynonna told her in secrecy, but she also doesn’t like keeping things from Waverly. 

“I know that drinking doesn’t make things go away, trust me, my dad is a prime example of that,” Waverly continues. “I just wanted it to all go away for a night. It’s not that I’m upset with her, my dad is just not happy about it and it’s making things worse with him now,” she continues to talk. She speeds up her talking as the words come out of her mouth, beginning to ramble a bit. “I know things look great from the outside. He likes to put on a show, acting like we’re this perfect family, but trust me, we’re far from it,” she sighs. 

“Hey,” Nicole says, tucking some loose hair behind Waverly’s ear, attempting to calm her. 

“Ever since my mom left when I was little, he just drinks and uses it as an excuse for everything,” Waverly continues. “He already unhappy with most of Wynonna’s choices and now a baby out of wedlock? If he weren’t mayor he would probably disown the two of us,” she says. 

Nicole gives her a confused look. “Why the hell would he ever want to do that?” She asks. It blows her mind that anyone would ever think poorly of Waverly. 

“If he had it his way, he would just have stopped with Willa,” Waverly tells her. 

“Well, for what it’s worth, I’m glad he didn’t,” Nicole tells her. Waverly forces a smile and buries her face into Nicole’s chest. 

“I’m sorry,” the brunette uttered against her chest. Nicole can barely hear her, but she can just make out the words. 

“You don’t have to apologize, baby,” she says quickly. She taps on Waverly’s shoulder, causing the brunette to peel her head back a little. Nicole looks down at her.

“I feel like I’m ruining the night,” Waverly says. 

“Waves, you haven’t ruined anything,” Nicole tells her. “You can talk to me anytime about anything,” she says. She brushes her thumb softly against the brunette’s cheek. Waverly closes her eyes for a brief moment. Nicole presses a kiss against the side of her mouth and pulls the brunette closer to her body. 

“Thank you,” Waverly says before opening her eyes. “Thank you for letting me stay in here tonight, I really wanted to talk to you about all of this,” she admits. 

“Baby, you don’t need any excuse to spend the night with me,” Nicole assures her. Truth is, she would spend every night next to Waverly if she could. 

“I really, really like you,” Waverly says, grinning back at the redhead. Nicole can’t help but smile. She kisses Waverly again. 

“You keep saying that,” she says. 

“Is that bad?” Waverly asks. 

“No, I really really like you too,” Nicole tells her. She’s happily greeted by Waverly’s fingers brushing loose hair from her face this time, followed by their fingers lacing together. 

They spend the next hour talking in between making out. Waverly doesn’t discuss her family any further and Nicole doesn’t push the subject. Instead, they talk about the upcoming final football game of the season. Waverly tells her it’s senior night and all the seniors are recognized at halftime. She asks if Nicole will be there and she tells her she wouldn’t miss it for the world. 

They reach a point in the night where Nicole asks Waverly a question and receives no answer. She tilts her head down toward the brunette, hearing soft snoring coming from her. She can’t help but smile at the girl next to her, closing her eyes to try to get some sleep. 

She wakes a few hours later, feeling a shift in the bed. She notices Waverly quickly climbing out of bed and heading for the door. “You okay?” Nicole asks in a groggy voice. She doesn’t receive a verbal answer, only the sight of the brunette exiting her bedroom with urgency. 

Nicole grows concerned and climbs out of bed, following Waverly into the hallway. She sees her duck into the bathroom, pushing the door partially shut behind her. Nicole stands outside the door for a moment before she hears the sound of her girlfriend throwing up. 

She immediately wants to rush in and help her, making sure she’s okay. She pauses for a moment, allowing Waverly to have privacy, respecting her space. After. Few moments of silence, Nicole calls out softly, “Waves, you okay?” 

She hears a groan that comes from the bathroom, echoing off the porcelain. “Sorry I woke you,” Waverly calls out. 

“Hey, don’t worry about that,” Nicole tells her through the bathroom door. “Can I come in?” She asks, pressing her hand against the hard wood of the door. 

“I’m disgusting right now,” Waverly whines. “But yeah,” she says. Nicole doesn’t waste any time before she pushes the door further open, gaining a view of her girlfriend sitting on the floor, leaning against the wall. 

“You’re far from disgusting,” she says softly as she grabs a washcloth, getting it wet in the sink. She sits on the floor next to Waverly, pulling her closer to her body. 

“I drank too much,” Waverly says, embarrassed. Nicole feels her melt into her a little more. 

“I got you,” Nicole says, wrapping her arm around the brunette’s shoulder with one arm. She runs the washcloth across her forehead with the other. “I’ve been there, I get it,” she assures her. 

Waverly turns her face, burying it into Nicole’s chest. Nicole sets the washcloth to the side and lightly brushes Waverly’s hair with her fingers. They sit in silence for a moment. She feels her heart pounding in her chest and she swears it can probably be heard echoing around the room. 

She steals a glance at the girl in her arms. She can’t see her face, but she can picture it with ease. She watches Waverly’s back rise and fall, slowly, as her breathing steadies. She wants to ask her if she’s okay. She wants to ask if she’s ready to go back into the bedroom. Instead she gives her a minute, continuing to embrace the silence. 

It’s not long before Nicole feels Waverly pull away quickly and turn away from her again. She feels bad for the brunette who continues to get sick. She quickly reaches out, holding her hair back for her. She’s been in this position several times before, but only one person was ever there to take care of her. Someone she barely thinks about anymore. Someone she thinks she’s finally moved on from. Now, only Waverly consumes her thoughts throughout her days and she’s completely okay with that. 


	14. Chapter 14

Nicole wakes the next morning and feels Waverly’s small frame curled up against her side. She shifts slightly, attempting not to wake the brunette who is softly snoring next to her. 

They spent the majority of the night in the bathroom, so she assumes Waverly isn’t going to wake up feeling very well. She doesn’t have the slightest idea about what time it is, but the sun shining through her window gives her some indication that it’s later than it feels. 

She moves over a little, checking her phone to see it’s just before 9am. She slowly slides out of the bed, making sure Waverly is covered up with a blanket before she heads for the bathroom. 

On her way out of the bathroom, she picks up Waverly’s dirty shirt that she discarded on the floor before she finally decided she felt good enough to go to bed. She ended up sleeping in one of Nicole’s t-shirts instead. 

When Nicole returns to her room, she tries to be as quiet as possible. She drops the shirt in with her dirty laundry and sits down at her desk, pulling out her sketchbook to draw. She draws for a while, allowing Waverly to sleep. 

Waverly shifts in the bed behind her, letting out an audible groan. Nicole turns to see the brunette covering her face with her hands. She internally kicks herself for possibly being the reason Waverly is awake. 

“Sorry,” Nicole whispers. “Did I wake you?” She asks. 

Waverly shakes her head and sits up a little in the bed. “I think the pounding in my head did,” she admits. 

“Can I get you anything?” Nicole asks, standing up from her desk. Waverly rubs her face with her hands and squints her eyes open again. Nicole climbs into the bed next to her and brushes some loose hair behind the brunette’s ear.

“Leave me here to die,” Waverly groans, dramatically, causing Nicole to laugh. “I’m sorry,” Waverly apologizes. 

Nicole immediately shakes her head. “Baby, you don’t have to apologize,” she tells her. 

She sits up a little in the bed, leaning her back against the headboard. She gestures for Waverly to come toward her a little more. The brunette scoots over in the bed, laying her head back in Nicole’s lap. 

“You’re really sweet to me,” Waverly tells her. “No one has ever been this sweet to me,” she admits. 

Nicole brushes Waverly’s cheek, softly, with her thumb and offers her a warm smile. She’s not sure why anyone wouldn’t want to be there for the brunette. She can’t imagine anyone treating her poorly and it makes her mad to think that anyone ever would. “It’s okay,” Nicole tells her. 

“I don’t get that bad often,” Waverly assures her. “But anytime I ever need anyone to help take care of me, they act like I’m more of a nuisance,” she tells her. 

“You’re not a nuisance to me,” Nicole assures her. Waverly reaches up and laces her fingers between Nicole’s. 

“Thank you,” she says, softly. Nicole leans down and presses a kiss on her forehead. “What were you drawing?” She asks, gesturing I’ve toward Nicole’s desk. 

“Oh, I was just finishing up a couple of things I started,” Nicole says. “I’ve almost filled another sketchbook,” she tells her. 

“That’s amazing,” Waverly says with a smile. “Can I see more of your drawings sometime?” She asks. She hasn’t asked to see her drawings since the camping trip. Nicole doesn’t mind showing her, it just makes her feel a lot more vulnerable when someone else looks at her drawings. 

“Sure,” she says. 

“Are you ever going to tell me about the girl in some of your drawings?” Waverly asks.

It’s a question she sort of expected to come again. She wasn’t really smooth about covering up the fact that there’s a story there. It’s not that she wants to keep things from Waverly, it’s just something she really hasn’t talked about with anyone yet.

There’s a knock at the door and Nicole welcomes it quickly, calling out to the person on the other side. The door swings open and Chrissy is on the other side she looks like her morning has been a little rough as well. 

“What’s up?” Nicole asks as the blonde quickly enters her too and plops down on the side of the bed, next to Waverly. 

“Making sure you guys are alive,” Chrissy teases. 

“Barely,” Waverly laughs, holding back the blanket for her best friend to climb in. Nicole laughs to herself when she sees the two girls, both hungover, laying in her bed. Normally she’d be more excited about having two girls in her bed, but one is more like her sister, and the other she’s pretty sure she’s falling in love with and has no interest in sharing her.

  
  


——————

  
  


The next week at school goes by rather quickly. Waverly and Nicole show a little more PDA in the hallways. She thinks people are getting used to the idea of them being together, because even Champ stops making comments toward them. That could be because he spends most of his free time sucking face with Stephanie against the lockers. As much as Nicole pictures pinning Waverly against the lockers, she has an easier time refraining when she sees how unclassy Champ makes it look. 

Friday morning rolls around and Waverly meets Nicole at her locker in the morning. She looks up to see her girlfriend where her cheerleading skirt and a Purgatory Blue Devils football jersey. She gives her a questioning look, wondering what’s up with the football jersey. Waverly looks down at her body when she sees the look. “What?” She asks. 

“Who’s jersey is that?” She asks. Waverly looks back up to make eye contact with the redhead. 

“Oh,” she says. “Perry’s.” She shrugs. Nicole narrows her eyes a little more. Jealousy courses through her veins without warning. 

“Why?” Nicole asks. 

“It’s senior night and we’re supposed to wear a jersey,” Waverly says. “Tradition,” she adds. She leans up to kiss Nicole on the mouth. Nicole turns her head slightly and the kiss lands on her cheek. Wavery’s eyes widen in surprise. “Oh, baby,” Waverly says, sympathetically. “Don’t do that,” she says. 

“Don’t do what?” Nicole asks, caustically. She finishes pulling her books out of her locker and closes the door, turning in the opposite direction of her girlfriend.

“Nicole Haught!” Waverly calls out after her.

She hasn’t gotten far. She cringes at the tone of her girlfriend’s voice. She knows she’s being dramatic, but knowing that Perry has a thing for Waverly and seeing her in his Jersey wasn’t a great combination for her ego at the moment. She makes the decision to stop walking, especially when she sees the look she’s getting from their classmates as her girlfriend’s voice echoes down the hallway. 

Nicole spins on her heels back toward Waverly and waits for her to catch up for her. “Yeah?” She says, innocently. 

“Don’t think you can just walk away from me!” Waverly continues to scold her. Nicole looks around, noticing her classmates are still watching them. 

“Can you lower your voice?” She asks in a hushed tone. “People are staring,” she looks around them once more. Waverly groans and grabs her by the arm, pulling her down a less crowded hallway. 

“Talk to me,” the brunette says. Nicole pauses. She knows this conversation could go one of two ways. She’s either going to end up looking like a crazy, jealous girlfriend, or Waverly will be understanding and take the jersey off. 

“I just don’t like it,” Nicole admits. 

“Babe, it’s just a jersey,” Waverly argues. “Every cheerleader has one on today,” she says. “It doesn’t mean anything.” 

It might not mean anything to Waverly, but it means something to Nicole. She hates that it means something to her. “Okay fine,” she says.

“It’s still bothering you,” Waverly tells her, knowingly. “So it’s not fine,” she says. She presses her hand against Nicole’s arm, rubbing soft circle with her thumb. 

“It’s just that I know Perry likes you and it’s weird to see you in his jersey,” Nicole admits. She sees a confused look grow on her girlfriend’s face. 

“Perry doesn’t like me,” Waverly says, in a defensive tone. “At least not like that,” she laughs a little at the idea of Perry having feelings for her. It’s similar to Nicole’s first reaction to the news. 

“Yes he does,” Nicole assures her. 

“Where did you hear that?” 

Nicole feels her girlfriend becoming a little more defensive, like she’s being accused of doing something wrong. 

“Chrissy,” Nicole tells her. She’s not sure if the blonde is going to be happy she’s telling her that she’s the one who put the idea in her head, but it’s something she has difficulty forgetting now that she knows. 

“She doesn’t know what she’s talking about,” Waverly huffs. 

“Why is it hard for you to believe that he has a thing for you?” Nicole asks her. For a brief moment she wonders if Waverly would take that news differently if Nicole wasn’t in the picture. Maybe she had feelings for Perry too and now is disappointed she can’t act upon them. Nicole tries to shake her insecurities out of her head. “Look, Waves, I’m sorry,” she apologizes. She feels like it’s the only thing she can do to fix this. 

“You don’t have to be sorry, Nicole,” Waverly assures her. “I had no idea and I wasn’t trying to make you jealous.” 

“I’m not,” Nicole immediately starts to defend herself, but stops mid sentence. “Okay, maybe I’m a little jealous,” she admits, reluctantly. 

Nicole watches as a soft, sympathetic smile forms on Waverly’s face. She reaches up and gently brushes Nicole’s cheek with her thumb. “You have nothing to be jealous about,” she reassures her. She presses a soft kiss on the corner of Nicole’s mouth. 

Nicole closes her eyes for a brief moment, letting out a breath when she feels the brunette lose contact with her. “Okay,” she says as she opens her eyes again. 

The sound of the warning bell echoes down the hall and Waverly tells her they better get to first period. Nicole nods in agreeance and follows the brunette to class. 

The day is cut short after fourth period for the senior pep rally that will be in the gym to prepare for the last game of the season that night. Nicole meets up with Jeremy and Rosita before making their way into the gym to find seats. 

The pep rally begins with all senior athletes being announced into the gymnasium. Again, Nicole finds the emphasis on school sports weird, but it’s something she’s sort of getting used to at this point. After all, she’s dating a senior athlete, so she knows she’s not going to get away from it for a while. 

After the other sports are announced, principal Lucado, who’s donning a Blue Devils jacket, begins to announce the senior cheerleaders by name. One by one, the girls make their way into the gym, bouncing in a cheerful manner, waving pom poms in the air.

When she hears Waverly’s name announced, she can’t help but smile at the sight of her girlfriend as she enters the gym. She lets out a cheer from the stands, receiving a wink from the brunette who must have already scanned the crowd to see where she was sitting. She squints her eyes a little when she notices something different about the brunette. 

She watches as she turns to get into position for their cheerleading routine. On her back is now the name “Jett.” Nicole grins to herself at the change. She feels stupid for getting upset over the jersey earlier in the day, but the fact that Waverly swapped jerseys for her, means more than she can explain. 

Throughout the entire routine, Nicole has trouble focusing on anyone but Waverly. She thinks back to the first time she saw her on the field. It didn’t take much for Nicole to notice her. The way she moved so smoothly with every step of the routine. She swears every time she sees her cheer, she gets better and better. She’s flawless and Nicole is hooked. 

The pep rally ends after the football team is announced and some of the seniors on the team receive various awards. Nicole doesn’t pay much attention to what the awards are for. She still has trouble peeling her eyes from Waverly, who is now sitting on the other side of the gym with the rest of her team. Every once in a while, she catches the brunette stealing a glance in her direction. 

As soon as the students are told they’re good to leave for the rest of the day, the bleachers turn into a stampede of people heading for the exits. Nicole doesn’t move until it’s a little more clear. By the time she makes it to the bottom step, she see hazel eyes and a big smile looking up at her. 

“You did amazing,” Nicole says as she steps down onto the gym floor. 

“I had to wipe the drool off her chin a few times,” Rosita teases as she steps down behind Nicole. Nicole turns and gives her a warning look, causing Waverly to laugh. 

“Robin’s jersey looks good on you,” Jeremy chimes in. Waverly looks down at the jersey she’s now wearing and smiles back at him. 

“Who wouldn’t want to wear the QB’s jersey?” She asks, winking at Nicole. Nicole gives her a soft smile back. She thinks about the stupid fight they had over a football jersey. Waverly doesn’t give her any reason to be worried, so she’s not sure why it bothered her so much. 

The group parts ways after chatting for a little while longer. Nicole makes plans to meet up with them later that night at the game. Before the game, she agreed to have dinner with Waverly at her house with her family. She’s completely terrified at the idea, especially knowing that things have been tense since Wynonna told them about the pregnancy, but Waverly asked her to go, so she’s going. 

They make their way out to Waverly’s car in the parking lot of the school. Nicole runs ahead a little, opening the driver’s side door for her girlfriend. “Chivalrous,” Waverly says with a grin. Nicole winks back at her and jogs around to the other side of the car. 

“You really didn’t have to change jerseys,” Nicole says when she’s finally settled into the car. Waverly glances over at her before starting the car. She takes Nicole’s hand in her own and kisses it softly. 

“I didn’t want you to be uncomfortable,” Waverly tells her. 

“I just don’t want you to think I’m trying to control you in any way,” Nicole says. She trusts Waverly and wants her to know that. 

“You didn’t ask me to,” Waverly tells her. “I did it on my own,” she says. Nicole nods and thanks her again. The gesture was really sweet. 

Waverly starts the car and returns her hand back to Nicole’s. Nicole leans in and kisses Waverly on the cheek before they start their drive back to Waverly’s house.

The closer they get to the house, the more nervous she is thinking about having dinner with Waverly’s family and meeting more of them. Waverly explains that her aunt and uncle will be joining them as well, but she reassures her that they’re nice. Nicole is skeptical about meeting new people in that family after meeting her dad and oldest sister, but she’s sure Waverly wouldn’t lie to her about that. 

When they arrive at the house, the only other vehicle in the driveway is Wynonna’s blue and white pickup truck. Nicole breathes out a sigh of relief that she’s sure Waverly hears because she feels her squeeze her hand a little tighter. “They should be home soon,” she tells her. Nicole musters up a smile before they climb out of the car and make their way into the house. 

“Wynonna, I’m home!” Waverly calls out when she enters the house. They see the older Earp pop her head around the corner, walking toward the door to greet them. 

“What up, Haught stuff?” She says with a grin. 

“Sure, you go right for her,” Waverly huffs at her sister. 

“Well,” Wynonna says. “Look at this tall glass of water,” she teases, looking the redhead up and down. Nicole gives her girlfriend a look, trying to show that it’s all Wynonna. 

“I’m aware,” Waverly says, pulling Nicole closer to her body. Nicole relaxes a bit and wraps her arms around Waverly. “But she’s mine,” Waverly tells her as she wraps her arms around Nicole’s waist. 

Wynonna rolls her eyes and dramatically scoffs at the pair. “You guys ready for this dumpster fire that’s going to occur tonight?” She asks. “You’re brave, Haught.” 

Nicole swallows hard and Waverly playfully pushes her sister's arm. “Don’t try to scare her!” She argues. 

“I’m just warning you,” Wynonna says. “You know it’s either gonna be dad pretending everything is all hunky-dory or he will just lay it all on the table how much of a disappointment we all are.” 

“Not all of us,” a voice comes from the entryway of the house. They all look in that direction at the same time as Willa walks further into the house, a tall man following closely behind. 

Nicole isn’t sure if she should put some space between her and Waverly, but when the brunette doesn’t move much, neither does she. She braces herself for what’s about to come for the next few hours she has to spend with Waverly’s family. 

“Willa,” Wynonna greets her in a flat tone. “Robert,” she says to the man behind the eldest Earp. Waverly doesn’t talk much about Willa and her family, so she was fully unaware of who that was. Now he has a name. 

Waverly finally drops her arms from around Nicole’s waist, causing the redhead to immediately miss the contact. “Willa, Robert, this is Nicole Haught,” Waverly says, gesturing to the redhead. Nicole smiles back at them. 

“Oh yes,” Willa says. “Randy Nedley’s foster child I was telling you about,” she whispers, rather loudly, to Robert. 

“Nice to see you again,” Nicole lies, with a forced smile. She doesn’t try to shake her hand this time, she learned the last time that was a pointless action. 

Robert seems like a decent guy. He doesn’t speak much, but when he does, Nicole doesn’t get the same vibe she gets from Willa. She just does what she’s learned to do over the years with the amount of people she’s met, smile and nod.

One thing Nicole can confidently say about herself is that she’s learned people over the years. She knows how to read them fairly well, she can tell when they’re not being genuine, she can tell when they’re real, but that doesn’t stop her from the constant guard she has up around new people. 

When Waverly’s aunt and uncle arrive, her dad is still nowhere to be found. Nicole is introduced to Gus and Curtis McCready, who come off as extremely warm and inviting. She can see why Waverly enjoys their company and they seem to really have a soft spot for her. 

“Why don’t you come help me set the table, dear,” Gus says to Nicole. They’re still waiting for Ward to arrive, but they carry on with their plans before they need to leave for the game. 

Nicole isn’t sure if she’s about to get the third degree from the woman or not. She glances over at her girlfriend to try to read her, hoping she will get her out of it just in case. Waverly smiles and nods in approval to Nicole easing her nerves, but only slightly.

Nicole follows the grey haired woman into the other room to help set the table. They chat idly, and she finds it a lot more comfortable than she thought it would be. “Why don’t you tell me about yourself,” the woman says. 

Nicole finds herself caught a little off guard by the statement because most people haven’t seemed to really care about who she really is. Most people she met in the town just went off of what they had heard about her from someone else. It was a nice change of pace for once. 

“Um,” she begins like she just forgot everything there is to know about her. “I moved here from the city a few months ago, I’m a senior,” she starts to explain the basics. 

“What about your family?” Gus asks. Nicole pauses and looks up at her. The woman continues to set plates down in front of each seat at the table. She must not have heard much about Nicole already, most people don’t start asking about her family, they just assume she doesn’t have one. Another nice change of pace.

“Oh, I’m in foster care,” she says, a little embarrassed having to explain herself. Gus stops for a moment and gives her a smile. It’s not sympathetic, it’s not condescending, it’s not disgusted, it’s full of genuine care and Nicole appreciates that. “My dad died when I was young and my mom hasn’t been around even longer than that.”

“I’m sorry to hear that, dear,” the woman says. She places her hand on Nicole’s shoulder for a moment. 

“I’m pretty used to it,” Nicole tells her. She picks up a stack up silverware and begins to set them down at each place setting. 

“You shouldn’t have to get used to something like that,” Gus tells her. Nicole nods. She knows that, but she can’t help it from being her life. “How have you been liking Purgatory?” she asks.

“Honestly,” Nicole starts. “It’s a whole new world out here,” she says with a laugh. “But meeting the people that I’ve met out here definitely helps. There are some good people here,” she says. “Like Waverly.”

“She’s one of the best,” Gus says with a smile. Nicole nods in agreement. “I see the way you look at her,” the woman says. Nicole stops in her tracks for a moment. She’s unsure of how much Waverly talks to her family about her or their relationship. She’s not sure what anyone knows or thinks about what is going on between the two of them. “It’s okay,” Gus says. She can probably tell Nicole is nervous. “I’m not here to give you the third degree.”

Nicole laughs nervously in response. 

“As long as I know my niece is being respected and treated the way she deserves, you have my blessing, dear,” Gus tells her. The words come with a sigh of relief from Nicole. She agrees right away, explaining that she would never do anything to disrespect the brunette, telling her how much she cares about her.

They’re joined soon after by the Earp girls to see if there’s anything else that needs to be done. Gus tells them that they’re all set and Willa tries calling their father once more before they sit down at the table to eat. Waverly only has about another hour before she has to be at the school before the game. 

Nicole is partially relieved by the fact that Ward hasn’t shown up yet. Willa hasn’t been too disrespectful so far and when she says something that could be heading down that road, Wynonna is quick to cut her off. 

They’re about halfway through their meal when the front door of the house swings open and the patriarch of the Earp family comes burrowing into the house. He staggers in his step as he enters the room. The entire group looks up at once in his direction. He apologizes for being late and greets the family in a semi-loving way. Nicole notices Waverly’s eyes widen when he passes by her, the smell of alcohol wafting from his direction. 

Nicole tries to read the reactions of the others at the table. Gus tries to keep the conversation going like she’s trying to keep it peaceful, even after her brother-in-law, the mayor of the town, shows up clearly drunk to an afternoon dinner. 

There’s still a lot of awkwardness at the table as Ward takes a seat and serves himself food onto his plate. After a brief silence, Ward speaks. “Waves, are you ready for the last football game of your high school career?” he asks. 

Waverly nods. She seems to be trying to make this less awkward. Unfortunately, this is probably more normal than Nicole knows. “Yeah, it should be a good game,” she says. “You’re still coming, right?”

“Like I’d miss my baby girl’s last game!” Ward lets out a cackling laugh that makes Nicole even more uncomfortable.

“Like you’ve gone to all the other games this year,” Wynonna mumbles under her breath. Ward quickly stops eating and turns his attention in the direction of his middle child. 

“What was that?” he asks, frustration spewing out of him from the comment that was made. 

“Oh, nothing,” Wynonna says. She rolls her eyes at her father as he turns away from her. 

“I’m sorry that some of us work around here,” Ward retorts. 

“I work,” Willa argues. 

“You’re right,” he says, softer this time. He smiles at his eldest daughter. “And look at you, married to a man with class, no children out of wedlock…” he trails off. 

Nicole chokes a little on her water as she tries to take a sip while he talks. Her life at home has never been perfect, but she’s never been in a situation quite like this. People would at least keep their comments to themselves, even if they thought them. She can feel the tension growing in the room, Waverly squirms a little in her seat like she’s ready to tell the man off. 

Ward doesn’t directly acknowledge Nicole at all throughout the time she is at their house. In a way, she likes it that way, because she’s not sure that she can hold her tongue if he pisses her off. She would need more than two hands to add up the amount of negative, indirect comments that he makes about Wynonna being pregnant throughout the rest of the meal. 

Waverly finally excuses herself from the table to go get ready for the game, gesturing for Nicole to come with her. Nicole is relieved that she wasn’t going to be left alone with her family without her. 

Ward, finally acknowledging that Nicole exists, tells Waverly that Nicole can stay downstairs with them. Nicole becomes a little nervous, but Waverly tells him that she’s coming with her and turns to leave the room. Nicole smiles politely at the rest of the family and quickly follows Waverly to her room. 

Waverly moves into her room quickly, dropping face first on her bed, letting out a muffled scream into her pillow. Nicole closes the door behind her and makes her way over to the bed, next to her girlfriend. 

“Babe?” She asks softly, trying not to stress her out anymore. Waverly rolls over onto her back, her face now exposed. She still has a look of frustration on her face. 

“I’m sorry,” Waverly says. Nicole sits down on the bed next to her girlfriend. 

“You didn’t do anything wrong,” Nicole tells her. 

“I invited you for dinner,” Waverly says. Nicole doesn’t want her to think of that as a bad thing. “I shouldn’t have made you witness all of that,” the brunette tells her. “Welcome to life with the mayor,” she says in a sarcastic cheer. 

“Hey,” Nicole says softly. She brushes a comforting hand on the brunette’s arm. 

“We’re just big disappointments,” Waverly says, rolling her eyes at the thought. Nicole immediately becomes defensive. 

“First of all,” she says, a little sternly. “I’m not sure how anyone could ever be disappointed by having you in their life,” she tells her. “You’re the best thing about this place.”

“You’re biased,” Waverly huffs, but smiles softly at the redhead. 

“Maybe so,” Nicole agrees with a grin. “But I guarantee if I took a poll around town, people would agree,” she insists. 

Waverly laughs and shakes her head at her girlfriend. “How do you do that?” She asks. 

“Huh?” Nicole asks.

“Take a moment like that, where my dad is downstairs ridiculing our every moves,” she explains. “Judging you like you’re some sort of trash, yet you still find the good in things,” she tells her. 

“I think you do that more than you think,” Nicole assures her. She’s always been in awe of the way Waverly is able to carry herself in such a positive manner, regardless of what’s going on around her. “But honestly, when I’m around you, it’s easy to see things in a different light,” she admits. “It’s hard to see the bad in things when all I see when I’m with you is good.”

Waverly smiles and sits up on the bed, leaning in to Nicole’s side. Nicole leans back on one of her arms, propping herself up on the bed. 

“And because I’m pretty sure I’m in love with you,” she continues, so naturally, as if she’s been saying it for years. “And I never want anything bad to happen to you.” She presses her hand against Waverly’s forearm, tracing small circles on her skin with her thumb. 

Waverly tilts her head to look up at the redhead. A smile forms on her face. “You’re pretty sure what?” Waverly asks. Nicole realizes she actually hasn’t said that out loud before. 

“I’m pretty sure, I mean, I am sure,” she stutters a little. “I know. I do love you, Waverly Earp,” she repeats and smiles back at her girlfriend. 

The brunette leans in close to her body, their faces impossibly close without actually touching. Nicole can feel Waverly’s breath on her own before she feels the brunette’s lips pressed against her own. 

“You do?” Waverly asks through her smile. 

Nicole grows nervous like she said the wrong thing. “I do.”

“You love me?” Waverly asks again like she’s giving Nicole a moment to be able to take it back.

Nicole nods and moves her hand to Waverly’s cheek, tangling her fingers in her brunette hair as she feels their tongues brush softly against each other. They continue to kiss for a moment before Waverly pulls back slightly, a giggle falling out of her mouth. “Okay, good, because I love you too,” she says before leaning back in for another kiss. 

“You should probably get ready for the game,” Nicole finally says. As much as she wants to continue laying on Waverly’s bed and making out, she doesn’t want Waverly to be late either. 

She laughs when Waverly groans and rolls over onto her back. She sits up for a moment to remove the football jersey from her body, tossing it to the side. “There,” she says. “I’m ready,” she says, laying back on the bed. 

Nicole’s laughs and her eyes travel down Waverly’s body, stopping on the exposed skin on her abdomen. She takes the opportunity to lean down and lay soft kisses on her skin, feeling the muscles tighten under her touch. 

There’s a knock at the door and Waverly lets out an audible groan, causing Nicole to laugh. The door slowly opens and Wynonna pops her head inside the room. “You guys ready?” She asks. She doesn’t seem like her usual self at the moment. Nicole notices defeat and exhaustion in her voice. 

“Yeah,” Waverly says. She stands up from the bed, grabbing her duffle bag before heading out the door of her bedroom. 

Nicole takes a second to turn to Wynonna. “You okay?” She says in a hushed tone. Wynonna nods and gives her a forced smile before heading down the hallway with her sister. 

The game is pretty boring to watch. Purgatory scores more points in the first half of the game than they have most of the season. It’s the first time Nicole isn’t ducking under the bleachers to get drunk with Wynonna and Rosita. Even Rosita sits sits on the bleachers with her. 

By the time halftime rolls around, Nicole makes her way down to the fence, on the sidelines of the field. Waverly is standing nearby with her cheerleading squad, waiting for the announcement before they go out to the field. 

Nicole notices Waverly’s family nearby on the side of the fence as well. Waverly waves at them, mostly her aunt and uncle, and flashes Nicole a quick wink before she turns toward the field. 

The announcer introduces the cheerleaders and Nicole watches as they make their way to the field. She feels someone walk up next to her and turns to see Wynonna leaning against the fence. “Man, remember the days we used to get drunk under the bleachers?” She asks. 

“It was two months ago,” Nicole laughs. She turns her head to watch the cheerleading routine. It’s the same routine she saw earlier, but it doesn’t stop her from getting lost in Waverly’s movements again. 

“Sorry about dinner earlier,” Wynonna says, continuing to look in the direction of the cheerleaders.

“I’m sorry your dad treats you that way,” Nicole respond. Neither of them look at each other, they continue to talk as they watch the routine. 

“It’s life, Haught,” Wynonna tells her. Nicole steals a glance at the brunette. She can see the pain in her eyes, but doesn’t let her know. “Here’s the thing about my dad,” she begins. “He doesn’t really care enough to give a shit about what we do,” she explains. “But if we do something where people that matter can see, that’s when it’s an issue.” 

“What do you mean?” Nicole asks. 

“Me being pregnant isn’t the issue,” she says. “I mean, he’s not that happy about it, but he doesn’t really care about what I do. But once the town knows, that’s when it becomes a problem. It’s all about the image.”

Nicole lets what she says sink in. She feels like she gets it. It’s not that he cares who his daughter dates, as long as no one important ever finds out. She feels a fire of frustration growing within her at the realization. 

The routine comes to an end and it’s not long before Waverly is running back to the sidelines. She stops to talk to her family for a moment before making her way over to Wynonna and Nicole. She can’t help but see Ward watching his daughter carefully as if she’s going to do something to disappoint him. 

“Hey baby!” Waverly says in a cheery tone. Nicole smiles and tries to refrain from PDA while they’re in front of the entire town. She feels Waverly’s hands on her forearms over the fence. She glances to her left to see Ward continuing to watch. 

“Your dad is staring at us,” Nicole warns her, trying to avoid making things worse for Waverly. Waverly stops for a moment and looks back at her dad. She then takes a quick glance at her sister. It’s not long before she’s pressing a hard kiss against Nicole’s lips. 

Nicole is shocked by the action, but can’t help but kiss her back. When they pull away, she swears she sees a vein popping out of the man’s forehead in anger. “Now he can be mad at me and not you,” Waverly says, winking at her sister. 

Wynonna looks shocked for a moment and Waverly turns back toward her cheerleading squad before Nicole can process what just happened. 

Waverly’s dad doesn’t stay much longer after halftime. Nicole assumes he’s too angry with his daughters at this point, but Wynonna tells her he’s probably leaving because he hasn’t had anything to drink in a while. 

Nicole spends the rest of the game standing in silence with Wynonna next to the fence. She doesn’t pay much attention to the game. Purgatory ends up winning, which isn’t a surprise to anyone at this point. She briefly catches up with Waverly after the game. Waverly tells her she is going to spend time with Wynonna for the night, but they make plans to hang out the next day. 

  
  


When Nicole returns home that night, there’s a lot of thoughts rushing through her head. She’s pretty sure that kiss is going to cause more than just ripples in the smooth sailing of her relationship with Waverly. She thought maybe things were going pretty well, despite the obvious and continuous disapproval from Waverly’s father. Now she’s sure things are worse in that category. 

Much, much worse. 

On her way down the hallway toward her room, she sees an envelope tucked in between her door and the frame. Confused, she pulls it out and looks at the front. She sees it’s addressed from Officer Dolls, with the address of the probation office in the city. She laughs a little to herself, it’s not like she doesn’t know where he lives by now.

She enters her room and peels open the envelope to see another envelope on the inside. She’s even more confused now, but pulls it out and reads the front. Everything inside of her drops when she sees a different, yell still familiar, name on the top of the second envelope. She holds it in her hands for a moment, staring down at the letter.

Unsure what to do, she calls her probation officer on her cell phone. She realizes it’s late, but she has to talk to him. Despite the time, he answers anyway. “Nicole?” his voice is a little groggy like she woke him up. “What’s going on?” he asks.

“What’s this letter?” she asks, quickly, as if he can see her waving it around in the air. There’s a small pause before he answers. 

“It was sent to your last foster family’s home,” he tells her. “I thought maybe you’d be interested in it and wanted to be sure you got it.” 

Nicole isn’t sure what to say. She can’t stop staring at the handwriting on the front of the envelope, the way her name is written, something she hasn’t seen in a long time. 

“Have you seen her?” she asks. “Is she back?” She’s unsure why she keeps asking so many questions. She’s not sure she even wants to know the answers to them. She might have the answers in her hand, but she can’t make herself open the envelope. 

“No, I haven’t seen her, your foster parents just wanted me to make sure it got to you,” he explains. 

“Thanks,” she says. Her tone is flat, she’s not sure what she feels. Things have been going well in her life in Purgatory. She misses the city from time to time, but she hasn’t been interested in going back. For the first time in a long time she’s been seeing herself going forward.

“You okay, kid?” Dolls’ voice breaks her from her thoughts. 

“Yeah,” she says. She’s sure she’s not convincing, but he doesn’t question her any further. “Thanks for sending it,” she says before they say their goodbyes and she hangs up the phone. 

She wants to call Waverly. She wants to ask her if she can come over. She wants to tell her she knows she has plans with her sister, but she really wants to see her. She doesn’t do any of these things. 

Instead, she sees that Waverly texted her. She responds, telling her she’s going to get some sleep and that she hopes she has a good night with her sister. She sends one more text, telling her she loves her before she heads to bed. 


	15. Chapter 15

Nicole doesn’t hear from Waverly until about noon the next day when she texts her and asks her if she wants to go to lunch with her and Wynonna. Nicole agrees, and asks where they’re going. When Waverly tells her the diner on the outskirts of town, it immediately makes her think of meeting with Dolls there whenever he’s in town, leading to thoughts of the letter that she left, unopened, on her nightstand. 

She takes a seat on her bed, staring at the letter but not touching it yet, as if it’s going to bite her. She’s not sure what to feel. She feels anger. Then more anger from feeling anger. She shouldn’t be mad about it, but she is. There were so many moments of the past year and a half where she wished she received something like this. A sign. Anything to show that this girl still existed, still cared. But why now?

It’s been a while since she’s even thought about her. She just assumes she’s off living some magical life without her now. She assumes she’s probably happier without her anyway. She doesn’t see her everywhere she goes anymore. She doesn’t miss the feeling of being in her arms, her smile, her laugh. She over all of that. She thought she was over all of that. She is. Right? 

There’s a knock on her door, startling her. She turns her head to see Waverly entering the room. “Shit, Waves!” she says as she holds her chest with her hand. She tries to quickly shove the letter into her drawer, but it falls on the floor. 

“Sorry, I just figured I’d come in and get you before we went to lunch,” Waverly says, softly. Nicole takes a breath, still caught off guard. “Plus, I missed you,” the brunette says with a soft smile. 

“It’s okay,” Nicole says. “You just scared me,” she admits. She sees Waverly’s eyes drift down toward the floor, landing on the envelope that Nicole wasn’t quick enough to cover up with her foot. 

“What’s that?” Waverly asks. Nicole pauses for a moment, not wanting to answer. She wants to tell her it’s nothing. She wants to tell her she doesn’t know. She wants to tell her it’s something she’s not ready to face. 

“It’s a letter,” she ends up saying, as if that isn’t obvious enough. Her eyes drift toward the envelope, unsure if she even wants to pick it up. She feels sick at the thought of what could be inside. 

“Are you going to pick it up?” Waverly asks, clearly confused about what the issue is. Nicole shakes her head. 

“Nah,” Nicole shrugs. “We should probably go,” She tries to change the subject. “I’m sure Wynonna is not patiently waiting and we both know she doesn’t want to spend more time on Nedley property than she already has,” she laughs. 

Waverly nods and glances again at the envelope. Nicole can tell the conversation isn’t over yet, but she’s glad it is for now. She moves over to where the brunette is standing and pulls her by the arm a little, bringing her closer to her body. Waverly smiles and leans in for a kiss. 

“How was your night?” Nicole asks as they head toward the front door of the house. 

“It was okay,” Waverly says. “Dad didn’t come home until some time this morning, I’m sure he was wasted, but I didn’t check on him to find out.” 

“Did he saying anything about that halftime kiss?” Nicole asks. 

She knows why Waverly decided to kiss her in front of the entire town. She knows she wants to take the attention off of Wynonna. Truth is, Nicole thinks it’s really sweet of Waverly for doing that. But she also knows now that it’s going to be even harder for Waverly’s dad to ever accept her dating his daughter, if that were even going to happen in the first place. 

She’s glad when Waverly doesn’t bring up the letter at all while they’re out with Wynonna. She feels like Waverly is probably thinking about it, because she seems a bit off throughout the day. But then again, she could be worried about her home situation as well. 

After lunch, they end up at the mall. Nicole is okay with it, the more distractions the better, but as the day goes on, her mind can’t help but drift back to that letter and what could possibly be in it. She internally kicks herself for not reading it when she had the chance. If she had read it, she could at least have an idea of what it was about to better prepare herself for the inevitable conversation she was going to have with her girlfriend later. 

“Are you okay?” Waverly asks in almost a whisper as they make a stop into a baby store so Wynonna can, as she puts it, torture herself with reality. 

Nicole smiles softly at her girlfriend and nods. She feels Waverly’s soft fingers brush the skin on her arm as she gives her a knowing look. “You can talk to me,” Waverly reminds her. 

“I know,” Nicole tells her. She knows she can tell her what’s on her mind. She’s sure Waverly knows she has a past from when she was in the city. She’s sure Waverly doesn’t expect her to be the only girl that she’s ever been romantic with, right? She’s just never really asked before, so she never told her.

“Are you worried about my dad?” Waverly asks, trying to get more information out of her. 

Truthfully, she is a little, but that wasn’t the main thing on her mind. She could take this opportunity to lie and say ‘yes’. She could use it to cover up the letter thing and maybe Waverly will forget about it all together. Nicole sighs. “Partially.” 

“Babe,” Waverly says, pressing her hand against Nicole’s side. Nicole tilts her head and looks down toward the brunette. Her heart flutters at the sight of Waverly looking back up at her. She leans down and places a kiss on Waverly’s forehead. 

“Dang, are you two about to bang in the baby store? Ironic,” Wynonna calls out halfway across the store. Waverly’s face turns from loving to mortified faster than Nicole has ever seen anyone change facial expressions before. 

“Shut up, Wynonna!” Waverly says, spinning around on her heels toward her sister. “We’re not banging,” she huffs. Wynonna smirks at them and Nicole shakes her head at the older Earp. 

“Really?” Wynonna continues to tease them. “That sucks, I bet Haught stuff is great in the sack,” she says as she elbows Nicole in the ribs. Nicole feels her stomach drop, thanks, Wynonna. 

“Wynonna!” Waverly huffs again. Before Nicole can open her mouth to speak, Waverly turns and storms out of the store. Nicole looks at Wynonna, annoyed. 

“I was just kidding!” Wynonna tries to defend herself, putting her hands up in front of her. Nicole shakes her head at the older Earp and leaves the store in search of Waverly. 

She finds her sitting on a bench in the middle of the mall. She can’t help but find the brunette’s pouting face to be adorable, but she tries not to show it. 

“Don’t worry about her,” Nicole says as she sits down. She feels the weight of the brunette’s body immediately press up against her own. She’s noticed that ever since the kiss at the football game, Waverly hasn’t really held back on public displays of affection anymore. She seems to have a real ‘I don’t give a fuck about my father’s opinion’ attitude which is frightening and a total turn on for Nicole. 

“She should just keep her stupid opinions to herself,” Waverly pouts. Nicole lifts her arm to the back of the bench, allowing Waverly to move in closer. 

“True,” Nicole says. “But it doesn’t matter what anyone else says, what we do and don’t do is our business,” she reassures her. 

“So you’re not mad we haven’t had sex yet?” Waverly asks. Nicole looks down at the brunette who is now peering up toward her, still leaning into her side. 

“Baby, as long as I’m with you, I don’t care if we never have sex,” Nicole says, immediately receiving an unbelieving look from Waverly. “Okay, I mean,” she stutters. 

“I know what you mean,” Waverly says with a laugh. “Extremely cheesy, but sweet,” she teases. Nicole laughs and places a kiss on Waverly’s cheek. “I bet she’s right on one thing she said though,” Waverly adds.

“What?” Nicole asks. 

“About you probably being good in bed,” Waverly teases, playfully walking her fingers up Nicole’s arm. Nicole’s eyes widen as she turns a little to see Waverly grinning at her comment. She swallows hard at the thought of what it will be like when they finally do have sex and how much she’s going to have to live up to this assumption. 

It doesn’t take long before Wynonna is standing in front of them with an apologetic look on her face. Nicole sees Waverly give her a dirty look out of the corner of her eye. 

“Come on, Waverly, you know I was just kidding,” Wynonna says. Her tone is almost a whine. Nicole wants to laugh at the sight of the older Earp practically graveling at her sister’s feet. 

“You’re still being a jerk,” Waverly huffs. 

“I know, I know,” Wynonna says, putting her hands in the air in front of her. “I was just messing around, I’m sorry I took it too far,” she says. 

Waverly pauses for a moment like she’s trying to hold out on accepting her sister’s apology like she wants to torture her a little more before letting her of the hook. “Fine,” Waverly says. 

Wynonna looks relieved and a bit shocked at how quickly her sister accepted her apology. Waverly stands up from the bench and tells them that she’s ready to leave if they are. They agree and head back to Wynonna’s car. 

Nicole and Waverly get dropped off at Nicole’s house after planning to spend the rest of the day together. Wynonna makes a comment about feeling ditched, but denies their offer when they invite her inside with them. When they make it back, they see that no one else is home and head upstairs together. 

“So are you going to tell me what the letter is about?” Waverly asks when they return to Nicole’s room. “I can tell something has been bothering you, Nicole.” 

Nicole sighs and tries to avoid eye contact at first, but she knows Waverly can see right through her. She was hoping she would have a little bit more time before she was asked about it again. She sighs and takes ad seat on her bed. She feels the brunette moving toward her, taking a seat next to her on the bed. 

“Hey,” Waverly says as she places a single finger under Nicole’s chin and gently lifts it until they’re making eye contact. 

“I don’t know what’s in it,” Nicole admits. “I haven’t read it.” She turns her head to the side slightly, breaking eye their contact. 

“Who is it from?” Waverly asks. Nicole reaches down on the floor and hands it over to her girlfriend. “Who’s Eliza Shapiro?” She asks, reading the front of the envelope. 

“My ex,” Nicole admits. She’s unsure what Waverly is going to stay. The brunette stares back at her for a moment. “It’s not what you think,” she tries to explain. 

“What do I think?” Waverly asks. 

“I’m not sure, actually,” Nicole says with a shrug. She watches Waverly carefully as she sits there with the letter in her hands. The envelope is still sealed. She glances down at the front of it. She can’t see the entire thing, but she catches another glimpse of the familiar handwriting. 

“Is she the girl from your drawings?” Waverly finally asks. Another topic Nicole has been trying to avoid. It’s not that she doesn’t want Waverly to know, it’s just a part of her past she didn’t think she’d have to deal with anytime soon. She nods at the question. “Why didn’t you just tell me before?” Waverly asks. 

“Because it didn’t matter,” Nicole tells her. Her tone conveys annoyance, which is unintentional. 

“Obviously it does, Nicole,” Waverly says. “You have all those drawings. Obviously she means something,” she gestures toward her desk where her sketchbooks are. The brunette’s voice raises slightly, but Nicole can tell she’s trying to remain calm. 

“Meant,” Nicole corrects her. 

“What?” Waverly asks. 

“She meant something, yeah,” Nicole tells her. “But right now, you mean something more than she ever has,” she admits. “And that’s something I’m still trying to process here, Waves.” 

She stands up from her bed and makes her way over to her desk, grabbing one of her sketchbooks in her hands. 

“Do you guys still talk?” Waverly asks. Her voice sounds small, which causes a pain in Nicole’s chest. 

Nicole shakes her head immediately. “No. I haven’t heard from her in over a year. I didn’t expect the letter. I haven’t even read it,” Nicole tells her. 

“It’s okay that you have a past, Nicole. But you don’t need to hide it from me,” Waverly reminds her. 

“It’s not like I meant to,” Nicole argues. “I got the letter last night,” she tells her. 

“I’ve given you multiple opportunities to talk about the drawings though and you don’t,” Waverly continues to make her point. Nicole takes one of the sketchbooks and plops back down on her bed. She gets it, talking about things is definitely not her strong point. “You never tell me about the city, or the life you lived before here,” Waverly argues.

“Because it’s embarrassing, Waverly,” Nicole explains. “In the city I was bad news. In and out of foster homes, on probation all the time, you wouldn’t have wanted anything to do with me there,” she huffs. “I come here and everyone has this image to live up to. Where I come from, it’s nothing like that. I was brought here for tagging the federal building, because I was heartbroken and stopped caring about whether or not I made good decisions.” 

“I thought you don’t care about the image,” Waverly argues. “And I think it’s up to me whether or not I want anything to do with you. I don’t think it would make a difference where I met you.” 

“You don’t know that,” Nicole tells her. 

“Nicole,” Waverly says, softly. She places a finger under her chin again, tilting her head up a little more. “Like I said, it’s okay that you have a past. That doesn’t change how I feel about you.” 

Nicole leans in to kiss Waverly. The kiss is soft and sweet and doesn’t deepen much. She takes a bit of time to gather her thoughts before she speaks again. “I love you,” she says as she pulls away slowly. 

“I love you too,” Waverly says with a smile. Nicole takes the sketchbook from her hand and gives it to Waverly. 

“You can look at all of them if you want,” Nicole tells her. Waverly looks back at her at first, as if Nicole is testing her. “It’s okay.” 

Waverly nods and rests the sketchbook in her lap, flipping open to the first page. The first few pages are filled with drawings of random people throughout the city. Nicole explains who each prison is and whether or not she knew them well. She sees her girlfriend smile back at her when she tells stories of some of the people that she would meet throughout the city. Some of them she never even knew their names, but if something about them stood out to her, she was interested in remembering their faces. 

She watches carefully as Waverly turns the page, stopping on a drawing of Eliza. She was wearing a basketball jersey, her hair in a ponytail behind her head. “She’s really pretty,” Waverly says, without breaking her stare from the page. 

Her heart hurts at the thought of Waverly feeling upset in any way. “We met my freshman year,” Nicole starts. Waverly turns her head towards the redhead, almost shocked at the fact that she is finally telling her story. “She was a junior and one of the only people to not look at me like I was just some waste of space foster kid, because she was one too,” she tells her. 

Waverly moves one of her hands from the sketchbook, placing it on Nicole’s leg. “We bonded over being outsiders and got real close, real fast. She was the first girl I’ve ever loved,” Nicole continues. 

Waverly waits quietly as Nicole continues talking. 

“She left last year, got reacquainted with her birth mother,” Nicole explains. “Said she was moving, maybe somewhere in Hawaii. She always wanted life to be a paradise. So I’m not sure if that’s just something she fed me to make me feel better about the reality of it. I haven’t heard from her since,” she says. 

“Do you miss her?” Waverly asks. It’s a question Nicole almost expects, followed by whether or not she still loves her. The answer to both of those questions is simple, right?

“I did,” Nicole tells her. “I used to dream that she’d come back and we’d pick back up where we left off, but sometimes life doesn’t work that way.” She shrugs. “But I’d never wish away what you and I have,” she reassures her. “Life was complicated before, I took what I thought I deserved.”

“You deserve to be happy,” Waverly tells her. Nicole places her hand over the brunette’s hand that is still on her leg. 

“I am,” she says with a smile. “To be honest, getting a letter from her just threw me off guard. It’s like I finally move on from something, I finally feel like I fit in somewhere and it all comes crashing in on me.” 

“Then you have me to help you pick it all up again,” Waverly says with a sweet smile. Nicole can’t help but smile. She’s not sure what she did to deserve someone like Waverly, but she sure as hell isn’t going to give up on that anytime soon. 

She takes Waverly’s hand in her own, holding it close to her mouth, placing soft kisses on it. Waverly places her other hand on Nicole’s cheek, brushing it softly with her thumb. 

“I’m not going to sit here and pretend I understand everything you’ve been through, Nicole, but I do want you to be able to talk to me about it,” the brunette says, softly. 

Nicole leans her cheek into Waverly’s touch, closing her eyes for a moment. The only other person that actually asks about her life is her probation officer, and he’s been there for more of it than she likes to admit. Even with Eliza, she knew things because Nicole told her but not usually because she asked. 

“I know,” the redhead breathes out before opening her eyes to see soft, hazel eyes looking back at her. “I don’t deserve you,” she says with a small shake of her head. 

“Don’t do that,” Waverly says quickly, not allowing Nicole to move too far away from her. “I’m not going anywhere,” she gives her reassurance. She wants to believe it. She wants to think people don’t always leave. She wants to believe this thing isn’t only temporary. 

“I’ll show you someday,” Nicole says, receiving a confused look from her girlfriend. “The city, where I grew up,” she continues. “We’ll go, okay?” 

Waverly nods and smiles softly at the redhead. “Okay,” she says. Nicole’s gaze drifts toward the letter that’s not sitting on the bed next to them. “You can read it, if you want,” she tells her.

“I’m not sure if I want to,” Nicole says. Waverly doesn’t push it. She doesn't force her to do anything she’s not ready for, which Nicole truly appreciates. For now, she takes the envelope and places it on her nightstand. “There is one other thing I think we should discuss though,” she says, turning back toward Waverly. 

“What’s that?” Waverly asks. 

“This thing with your dad,” Nicole says. She sees the brunette sink at but at the mention of her father. “He used to scare me a little before, but now, he’s kind of terrifying.”

“He’s not terrifying!” Waverly says with a small laugh. Sure, easy for her to say, she isn’t the one from, what her father considers, a whole different world dating the daughter of the Mayor. 

“He’s terrifying,” Nicole repeats. 

“He just has this idea in his head that no one is ever good enough,” Waverly explains. 

“What about Champ?” Nicole asks. 

“Honestly, He thinks he’s a tool,” Waverly tells her. Nicole’s eyes widen in surprise at the statement. 

“Wait, really?” She asks. 

Waverly nods. “He always describes him as having a loose screw,” she says with a laugh. 

Nicole can’t help but laugh. “Well, he’s not wrong,” she shrugs. 

“He’s just friends with his dad and they've worked together in the past, so it’s his way of trying to control me,” Waverly says. “This is how it’s always been with my dad, Nicole. He’s tried to condition me my entire life on who to be friends with, who to date when I’m older, who I’m going to marry someday. The only one he was able to actually mold Willa and it drives him nuts.”

“It doesn’t mean you have to shove it in his face,” Nicole says. The words slip out quickly and she wishes she could retract them as soon as they let her mouth, anticipating that Waverly will become upset. 

“I did that for Wynonna,” Waverly explains. “She’s has it worse than me our entire lives. I thought it was the least I could do for everything she’s done for me throughout my life. I figured it would take some of the tension off of her, even for a little while. I’m sorry I sort of used you as an unsuspecting pawn in that plan,” she apologizes. 

“I didn’t hate the kiss,” Nicole assures her. 

“No?” Waverly asks, a grin growing on her face. She feels Waverly shift from where she is sitting, standing up for a brief moment before settling her weight onto the redhead’s lap, facing her. 

Nicole quickly moves her hands up, bracing the brunette’s back so she doesn’t fall. Waverly rests her knees on either side of Nicole’s thighs on the bed. 

“Definitely not,” Nicole says with a dimpled smile. Waverly begins to slowly lean in as Nicole pushes up, catching Waverly’s bottom lip between hers, biting down gently before soothing it with her tongue. The brunette moans softly, darting her tongue into Nicole’s mouth while pushing forward, causing Nicole fall backwards onto the bed. 

Waverly giggles as she hovers over Nicole’s body, sliding her thigh in between Nicole’s. As their bodies slide closer, Waverly’s thigh creates more pressure between Nicole’s legs. She can’t help but buck her hips into the brunette’s body a little more. 

As they continue making out, Waverly’s body grinds into hers more. She moves her hands from where they were planted on Waverly’s lower back, sliding them up the brunette’s small frame. As she reaches her chest, her thumbs brush gently across her already hard nipples, causing Waverly to take a sharp breath in. 

Waverly’s lips quickly move from Nicole’s mouth to her neck. The redhead tilts her head back, allowing her girlfriend more access to continue. She feels Waverly’s tongue against her warm skin, causing goosebumps to form on her skin. She feels the brunette nip at the skin on her neck, soothing it quickly with her tongue. Nicole lets out a small moan at the sensation, knowing very well that she most likely left a mark. 

In the distance, there’s a sudden sounds of a slamming car door and Waverly lifts her head, giving Nicole a sympathetic look. Nicole groans and covers her face with her hands. 

“Chrissy is back,” Waverly tells her. 

“How do you know?” Nicole asks, peeking her hands from her face. 

“I know that car door slam anywhere,” Waverly says with a laugh. “You know she’s going to come knocking,” she informs her.

Nicole groans again. She knows she’s right, but that doesn’t mean she’s welcome right now. She just wants to spend uninterrupted time alone with her girlfriend. She knows things probably weren’t going to go much further than they already had, but that doesn’t mean she doesn’t want to keep making out with the brunette. 

“Sorry,” Waverly says, apologetically. “I keep teasing you,” she says as she rolls off of Nicole’s body, laying up against her side. 

“Baby,” Nicole says, rolling over onto her side so she is facing Waverly. “It’s okay.”

“It’s not really fair to you,” Waverly says. Nicole disagrees. As much as she’d like to take it further with Waverly, she’s not going to force her to do anything she’s not ready for. She has a hand for a reason, right?

“Waves, I promise you, it’s fine,” Nicole reiterates to her. “I’m fine waiting until you’re ready. I don’t want to pressure you into anything.” 

“But how do I know what I’m ready for?” Waverly asks. 

“What do you mean?” Nicole asks. She reaches up and brushes loose hair from Waverly’s face.

Waverly groans buries her face in the redhead’s neck, embarrassed, like she’s afraid to answer the question. 

“Baby,” Nicole says, gently shaking Waverly’s shoulder. Waverly slowly lifts her face from Nicole’s neck. 

“I don’t know,” Waverly whines. “I haven’t done anything with anyone, how do I know what I’m ready for and not ready for?” She asks. 

“I guess you don’t know until you try,” Nicole says. “So we take it slow, go at your pace, and if you’re not ready for something, we don’t do it.” 

“Why are you so understanding and patient with me?” Waverly asks. 

“Because I’m not a jackass,” Nicole replies. She uses her thumb to rub soothing circles on Waverly’s hip, where her hand is steadily rested. She’s careful not to move her hands much, not wanting to make any suggestive movements while they have this conversation. 

“No, you’re definitely not,” Waverly says with a smile. “But you’re more experienced than me so I’m going to need you to take the lead at some point,” she tells her. 

Nicole nods. “Only when you’re ready,” she reminds her. Waverly nods and leans in for a kiss. 

“Thank you,” she says as they pull away from the kiss. 

“Of course,” Nicole smiles back at her girlfriend. 

There’s a knock at the door moments later. Waverly gives her an ‘I told you so’ look as she calls out for whoever is on the other side to come in. 

“Should I shield my eyes? Chrissy teases as she slowly enters the room. Waverly laughs and reaches above her head, launching a pillow across the room at her best friend. “What the heck!” Chrissy calls out. 

“Yes, shield them,” Nicole says with a laugh, earning a playful slap from her girlfriend. 

“You two are ridiculous,” Waverly huffs. “We were going to watch a movie, you down?” She asks her friend.

“I was thinking about going in the hot tub if you two want to stop touching each other long enough to join me,” Chrissy says. 

“Man, you’re worse than Wynonna,” Waverly huffs, as she climbs off the bed. “Hot tub or movie?” She asks, turning to the redhead. 

“Or both,” Chrissy suggests. 

“Oh, yeah, or both,” Waverly agrees. Nicole gives them a strange look. 

“We have a screen out back,” Chrissy says, nonchalantly like it’s a normal thing that comes standard with every house. 

“Oh, yeah, of course,” Nicole says with a laugh. “Why not both?” She asks as she lifts herself from the bed. She shakes her head to herself at the thought of even having a hot tub at her house in the first place and how natural it is for them to have a hot tub and an outdoor movie screen. Rich people. 

The girls all change into their bathing suits and meet back up in the backyard. The cool autumn air hits Nicole’s skin hard, causing her to shiver. 

“Cold?” Waverly asks, rubbing her arm with her hand. Nicole nods and crosses her arms across her chest, attempting to keep herself warm. “Usually you’re the hot one,” the brunette says with a wink. 

“We all know that’s not true,” Nicole teases, tapping Waverly playfully on the ass. Waverly laughs and shakes her head at her girlfriend. “But it’s also almost December, so it’s pretty cold for a bathing suite,” she laughs. 

“Hence the hot tub,” Waverly teases. 

“Man I’m going to have to find someone to be with soon so I can stop third wheeling with the two of you,” Chrissy huffs as she steps into the hot tub, taking a seat on one end of it. 

“Sorry,” Waverly says, apologetically, stepping into the hot tub. She turns to put her hand out for Nicole to take it as she steps in as well. 

“You guys just make me lonely,” Chrissy whines. “You’re so damn cute.” Nicole and Waverly both laugh at the comment. Nicole smiles and sits down in the hot tub. She pulls Waverly into her lap, kissing her on the cheek. They really are cute. 

“I think Rosita is still single,” Nicole says with a wink. Waverly laughs and nudges her, playfully.

“I don’t like tacos that much,” Chrissy reminds her. “Find me a cute boy and I’ll be happy,” she says, leaning back with her arms up on the outside of the hot tub. 

“Just any cute boy?” Nicole asks. “No other qualities?” She teases. She feels Waverly squeeze at her leg like she’s giving her a warning. 

“The boys in this town suck,” Chrissy continues as if she didn’t even hear the redhead picking on her. “Know any cute boys from the city?” She asks. 

Nicole pretends to think for a moment. “I’m not sure,” she says. “I wasn’t really looking at them like that,” she laughs. 

“Maybe I can find someone to at least take me to the Snow Ball next month,” Chrissy says with a shrug. 

“You don’t want to go as a group again?” Waverly asks. 

“Please, you guys can’t tell me you won’t be going as a couple,” Chrissy huffs. Waverly laughs and agrees. 

“Snow Ball?” Nicole asks, confused. 

“It’s the winter formal,” Waverly tells her as she turns her head a little so Nicole can see her face. “It’s the last week of school before winter break.” 

“Man, how many dances does your school have?” Nicole asks. There’s a slight groan in her tone and Waverly gives her a warning look. 

“Any excuse to get dressed up,” Waverly tells her. “It’s what we do around here,” she says with a laugh. 

“And any excuse for all the guys to think they’re finally going to get some,” Chrissy adds with a chuckle. 

“This place is like something out of a stereotypical teen movie,” Nicole teases. The other girls laugh, but tell her that she’s not wrong. 

After talking for a little while more, Chrissy out of the hot tub and gets the movie set up for them to watch. They spend the rest of the night watching movies under the stars together. 


	16. Chapter 16

The next week at school is fairly uneventful. Now that football season is over, Nicole notices that the school doesn’t have as much going on. It’s like they don’t know how to function without high school sports. The football players no longer don jerseys, the cheerleaders aren’t in uniform. That one she misses a little more because it means she doesn’t get to see Waverly in her skirt anymore. At least not until basketball season. 

Signs start to go up around the school advertising the winter formal dance that Chrissy and Waverly told her about. As soon as the signs go up, chatter in the halls starts about who’s going with who. She still doesn’t really get the appeal of school dances, but she knows Waverly will want to go, so she plans on taking her, and actually showing up this time.

In history, the teacher reminds them of the upcoming presentations of their projects that will happen next week. Nicole is suddenly grateful for Waverly’s work ethic and the early start they got on their project when she sees everyone else in the class start to panic about finishing it. They’ve been done for over 3 weeks now and she feels Waverly smile at her at the thought. 

After class, Nicole pulls Waverly by the arm, leading her down a deserted hallway in the school. “Where are you taking me?” Waverly asks as she follows the redhead. 

“You still want to see where I grew up?” Nicole asks when they stop moving. She leans her back up against the locker, positioning Waverly in front of her, holding onto her hips. 

“Now? We have school,” Waverly reminds her. She knows Waverly is a planner, but she’s hoping she’s okay with spontaneity every once in a while. 

“They won’t miss us,” Nicole argues. “It’s Friday, you don’t have a game tonight. We don’t have any tests this afternoon,” she continues.

“You’re crazy,” Waverly says with a laugh. Nicole leans in, capturing the brunette’s lips with her own. 

“You said you wanted to go!” She reminds her. 

“Yeah, but not in the middle of a school day!” Waverly argues. “Babe, you know that’s not a great idea.” 

“Why not?” Nicole asks. “No one is going to miss us, we’ll get Chrissy to cover for us, you’re coming over after school anyway.” 

“You’re serious about this?” Waverly asks as if she thinks Nicole is just playing games with her. 

“Super serious,” Nicole says, she squeezes Waverly’s hips a little tighter. Waverly pauses for a moment as if she’s really contemplating the decision. 

“Okay,” she finally says. 

“Really?!” Nicole asks, excited. She didn’t expect her to say yes. 

“My dad cannot find out,” Waverly warns, pointing a finger in her direction.

“Well I’m sure as hell not about to tell him,” Nicole says with a laugh. 

They come up with a plan where Chrissy will tell Randy that Nicole is going over to Waverly’s for dinner and Wynonna will tell her father that Waverly is spending the night at Chrissy’s house, if they ask. With the plan in place, Nicole and Waverly head out of the school after lunch and hop into Waverly’s car. 

“You sure about this?” Waverly asks as if she’s second guessing her decision to go along with this. Nicole nods. 

“We don’t have to go if you don’t want to,” she reminds her she’s not trying to force her to go against her own free will. 

“Let’s do it,” Waverly says, letting out a breath. She puts the car in reverse, pulling out of her parking space in the school lot. 

The drive to the city goes by a lot faster with Waverly by her side. They talk about anything and everything, they sing along to the music, and they hold hands a lot. 

Nicole can’t help but steal glances from time to time of the brunette’s face. There’s something about the way the wind from the open window blows her hair in just the right way, the way the sunlight shines on her face, that makes her heart race. 

“I love you,” Nicole says, breaking the silence that has fallen over the car, other than the sound of the music coming through the stereo. Waverly smiles and turns her head, breaking her concentration on the road for a brief second. 

“I love you too,” Waverly says as she turns her head back toward the road. 

The closer they get to arriving in the city, the more emotions run through Nicole. She’s excited to finally be able to share this part of her life with Waverly. She didn’t think she’d find anyone in Purgatory worth spending time with, and she definitely didn’t think she’d ever want to bring someone back home. She’s also nervous. She’s nervous that Waverly is going to get a different picture of her and decide she’s not who she thought she was. 

When they officially arrive in the city, they park the car in a garage and begin what Nicole calls their ‘sightseeing walking tour.’ Waverly laughs at the title. 

“It’s a working title,” Nicole says. 

“Where to first?” Waverly asks as she links her arm around Nicole’s. 

“This way,” Nicole says, pointing ahead of them. “Just a warning though, this probably won’t be as exciting as you think,” she tells her with a laugh.

“I’m just excited to be here with you,” Waverly admits as she looks around at the buildings that line the streets. 

As they start their trek down the road, she notices how in awe of everything the brunette is. She points out a few buildings here and there, nothing of great significance. 

She takes in a breath of air, feeling like she’s back home again, even if this isn’t her home anymore. The city smells much different, and less clean than Purgatory, but she still loves it. 

“Just around the corner is where I went to school,” Nicole says, gesturing in front of them. When they reach the corner, they stop to wait for traffic to subside before they can walk. A large group of people start walking across the intersection before the ‘walk’ with lights up. Waverly slightly panics, but Nicole takes her hand and leads her across. “You get used to it,” she says with a laugh. 

They continue walking until they come upon a school a few blocks down. The building is a lot more run down than the current school they attend. She looks at her girlfriend, gauging her reaction for a moment. “I know, it’s a little rough,” she says. 

“Nicole,” Waverly says, gaining her attention. “You don’t have to worry about things being different than what I’m used to, I understand where I’m from isn’t normal for most people too,” she tells her. 

“You don’t think hot tubs and outdoor movie screens are the norm?” Nicole teases. Waverly playfully pushes her on the arm. 

“Shut up,” she says with a laugh. 

They reach the bottom of the steps in front of the building. It’s quiet outside the school for the moment. Nicole looks down at her phone to check the time. “Bell should ring soon,” she says. “This is the calm before the storm,” she laughs. 

Nicole takes a seat on the bottom step of the staircase. She takes a deep breath in, letting it out slowly. She remembers the times she used to get out of school and sit at the bottom of these steps, drawing in her sketchbook or hanging out with her friends. 

She looks up at the sky for a moment. It’s a vibrant shade of blue and the sun is shining bright. Her eyes shift to the beautiful brunette standing nearby. Sometimes she still can’t believe someone has wonderful as Waverly took a chance on her. 

The sound of the school bell ringing echoes in her ears as she stands up from the stairs. She’s not sure if she wants to duck behind the building, attempting not to run into anyone she knows, but she figures at this point she is probably too late. 

She takes Waverly’s hand and pulls her to the side of the stairs. “Thank me later for saving your life,” she teases. The stairs begin to flood with students exiting the school like they’ve been held in captivity for years. 

“My hero,” Waverly says, dramatically as she wraps her arms around Nicole’s waist. “See anyone you recognize?” She asks, watching the students hit the bottom of the stairs and make their way into the streets. 

Nicole nods. “A few.” She never had a massive amount of friends. Truth is, she probably has more friends at Purgatory High School than she did here. After Eliza graduated, she mostly hung out with her and her friends that were all out of high school already. 

“Nicole Haught?!” Someone calls out, causing the pair to turn back toward the stairs. She makes fast eye contact with a familiar girl with long, dark hair, pulled back into a braid. 

“Gretta!” Nicole says in a cheerful tone. She takes a step toward the girl, Waverly hangs back at first. The girl opens her arms to Nicole, offering her a hug. Nicole reciprocates the hug. 

“Man, Haught,” the girl begins. “You leave for a few months and you’re already getting me mixed up with my sister?” 

Nicole takes a step back, thrown off at first. She narrows her eyes at the girl and looks her up and down. “Shut up,” she says, unamused. “You know I can tell you guys apart.” 

The girl starts to laugh. “Does it help that I have this scar on my eyebrow?” She asks, pointing at her face. 

“Yeah,” Nicole cringes a little. “Sorry about that,” she says. Gretta laughs. Nicole turns around, gesturing for Waverly to come closer. The brunette takes a few steps closer and Nicole wraps her arm around her waist. “Gretta, this is my girlfriend, Waverly.” 

“Girlfriend!” The girl cheers. “I see you’re not wasting anytime in your new, swanky life,” she teases. Nicole shakes her head at her friend, she feels her face get warm out of slight embarrassment. She never thought about what it would be like when Waverly met the people from her in the city. She always figured she’d get away scot free since she didn’t have parents to tell stories about her. 

“Nice to meet you,” Waverly says, offering her hand for the girl to shake. Gretta opens her arms and pulls the brunette into a hug instead. 

“I’m a hugger,” she informs her as if she didn’t pick up on that already. 

“That’s fine,” Waverly says with a laugh as they pull out of their hug. 

“So what are you up to these days? How long have you been here? How long are you guys in the city?” Gretta starts spitting questions at them. “I’m sure we can find a party tonight if you guys are interested.” 

“Whoa, slow down,” Nicole laughs, putting her hands out in front of her. “We’re just here for the day,” she says. “Waves wanted to see where I came from.” She gestures toward her smiling girlfriend. 

“Oh man, you’ll need longer than a day to figure that out,” Gretta teases. 

Waverly giggles and Nicole’s scoffs. “Where’s Mattie? She’s the nice twin,” Nicole says, leaning toward Waverly a little. 

“She’s volunteering at the center,” Gretta groans. “She keeps trying to get me to go with her.” She rolls her eyes. 

Nicole laughs. “Sounds like someone else I know,” she winks at Waverly. Waverly’s jaw drops at the comment. 

“Hey now!” the brunette argues. “I thought you didn’t hate the park cleanup,” she says. 

“I didn’t hate getting to see you,” Nicole corrects her. “And that was hardly voluntary,” she reminds her. 

Gretta bursts into laughter. “Fed building incident?” She asks. Nicole nods. “Hey, for what it’s worth, it looks cool,” she tells her. 

Nicole laughs and shakes her head. “I live with a cop now,” she tells her friend. 

“Yikes,” Gretta cringes. 

“It’s not as bad as it sounds,” Nicole informs her. Truthfully, it really isn’t as bad as she thought it was going to be. Randy Nedley is actually a nice guy. She gets what she needs there, he’s not really in her business, and even Chrissy has turned out to be a decent human being after all. 

“I’m sure it helps that you have a hot girlfriend,” Gretta adds. Nicole glances over at Waverly with a grin and the brunette blushes a little. “If you guys want, I’ll take you over to the center, you can see Mattie and maybe some other people you know over there,” she suggests. 

Nicole looks at Waverly for approval. The brunette nods and they start walking with Gretta. The walk isn’t far, only a few blocks. Nicole explains to Waverly that the center is a place she used to go after school often when she was younger. It’s a place for foster kids to go for counseling if needed, sometimes tutoring, or sometimes just to hang out with other people who go through similar things. 

When they get closer to the building, Gretta pulls Nicole to the side a little, whispering to her. “Um, so I should probably tell you that she’s back,” she says. 

“Who?” Nicole asks. 

“Eliza.” 

Nicole eyes widen. She wishes this was something Gretta informed her of before they walked all the way here. She swallows hard. She wants to just turn around and leave. She doesn’t want Waverly to think this is something she planned. She still hasn’t even opened the letter, so she still has no idea about anything going on in Eliza’s life. 

“I thought maybe that’s why you were here,” Gretta tells her. “But then I met your new girl…”

“I didn’t know,” Nicole tells her. “Is she here?” she asks. “Is that why you’re telling me this right now?” 

“I’m not sure if she’s here,” Gretta tells her, honestly. “I just didn’t want you to be totally blindsided if she was.” 

“Only partially?” Nicole asks, clearly frustrated. She lets out another breath before gesturing for her friend to keep leading the way inside the building. 

She turns to Waverly as they enter the building, attempting to give her a warning about possibly seeing Eliza inside. Before she can get the words out, she’s nearly tackled by someone giving her a hug. 

“Nicole!” The girl yells as she wraps her arms around the redhead. 

“Hey, Mattie,” Nicole laughs. She knew before she even saw the girl’s face. The girl pulls back from the hug with a smile on her face. She looks just like Gretta, minus the eyebrow scar and she usually wears her hair down. 

“How the hell are you??” She asks. She’s yelling still. “It would have been nice for you to tell us that you’re alive or something,” she huffs. 

“Sorry,” Nicole says sheepishly. She pushes her hands into her pockets for a moment. “I’m alive, she says with a laugh. 

Mattie playfully pushes her. “You here to see Eliza?” The girl asks. Nicole cringes internally, hoping it doesn’t show on the outside. She looks over at her girlfriend, who was still partially standing behind her. Mattie glances around Nicole to see the brunette. Waverly looks back at them, confused. 

“I-” Nicole starts.

“Mattie,” Gretta steps in. “This is Nicole’s girlfriend,” she gestures toward Waverly. 

“What?” Mattie asks. “Oh!” 

“Waverly,” the brunette says, putting her hand out to shake Mattie’s hand. The other girl takes her hand, shaking it. Nicole continues to stand nearby, feeling awkward as hell. 

“Do you want a tour of the center?” Mattie asks, Waverly. Nicole figures this is her attempt to fix what just happened. She’s sure it didn’t work. 

Nicole gives Waverly an apologetic look. In her defense, she just found out Eliza was back about thirty five seconds ago. Waverly gives her a forced smile, causing Nicole to internally cringe again. She rubs her face with her hands and sighs.

“That sounds great,” Waverly tells Mattie. 

Mattie nods and leads the group into the center. Nicole reaches down, taking Waverly’s hand in her own, lacing their fingers together. She tries to pull her to the side to make sure everything is okay, but is quickly interrupted by Mattie talking. 

She shows Waverly around the center. Nicole finds herself feeling at home here again. She never realized how much she misses the city at times until now. This is where she spent most of her free time when she could. She feels like she practically grew up here. It was the main constant in her life, the one place she could always go and know she had a place. 

The tour isn’t long, it’s not a large building. There are a couple of smaller rooms used for tutoring and counseling. There’s a larger, main room used for events and hangouts. There’s a pool table and a ping pong table on one end of the room and some couches and a tv on the other side. 

She watches as Waverly follows her friend, listening to her every word. They start to tell stories about the times they spent there, which Nicole starts to find embarrassing. 

“Okay, okay,” Nicole says. “Enough with the stories of little Nicole,” she laughs. Waverly laughs and wraps her arms around Nicole’s waist. 

“It’s cute, baby,” she says, looking up at the redhead. Nicole smiles down at her girlfriend, kissing her softly on the lips. 

“So, you two are precious,” Gretta says, breaking them from their own little world. Nicole laughs and turns toward her friend, keeping her arms wrapped around Waverly. 

“Waverly you’re going to have to tell me how you hooked this one,” Mattie adds. “I tried for years,” she admits. 

Nicole practically chokes from laughing. “What?” She asks, as she turns toward her friend. She looks back at Waverly, who is laughing as well. 

“Sure, I’ll fill you in,” Waverly says with a wink. Nicole rolls her eyes at the pair. 

“You play pool?” Mattie asks Waverly. Waverly nods her head at the girl. She looks up at Nicole, as if she’s asking her permission. Nicole smiles and nods at her girlfriend, releasing her grip on the brunette. 

“Let’s go,” Waverly says, gesturing for the other girl to follow her over to the pool table. Nicole watches as her girlfriend and her friend start to bond. She can’t help but smile at how easily Waverly is getting along with people from her past, people she didn’t think she’d see again any time soon. 

“She’s pretty great,” Gretta says, breaking Nicole from her thoughts. 

“She really is,” Nicole smiles, not breaking her stare on her girlfriend. “She’s the best.” 

“So how’s life, Nicole?” Gretta asks. “We really miss you around here,” she tells her. “We thought you forgot about us.”

Nicole turns her attention toward the dark haired girl standing next to her. Honestly, there was a time when all she could think about was coming back to the city when she turns eighteen and figuring out life on her own. She wanted to return to her friends and her old life, everything she used to know. 

But now, things are a lot different. She feels like she found a place in Purgatory as well. She has friends, someone she loves and even feels like she’s finding a family in the Nedleys. 

“It’s actually pretty nice,” Nicole admits. “At first I thought it was going to be the worst, but believe it or not, there are good people there.” 

Gretta laughs. “But better than life here?” She asks. “Aren’t they all stuck up and rich and shit?”

Nicole pauses for a moment. She misses her friends from the city, but the thought of life without Waverly is something she can’t even fathom. “I mean, there are some stuck up people,” she says with a laugh. “But not everyone is like that,” she tells her. “It definitely has it perks.” She gestures toward Waverly. 

“How did you score a girl like that?” Gretta asks, nudging Nicole playfully in the ribs. 

“It wasn’t the easiest thing in the world,” Nicole laughs. “Somehow she took a chance on me,” she says with a grin. 

“You always sell yourself short Haught,” her friend says. Nicole turns and looks back at her. “You’re pretty great too, you know?” 

“Are you trying to get with me now too?” Nicole teases. Gretta laughs and shakes her head. 

“No, no,” she protests, waving her hands out in front of her. Nicole laughs. Her attention is quickly redirected across the room when she hears a girl’s voice echoing from the other side of the room.

“I totally smoked you!” The girl says loudly to a boy walking with her as they enter the main room from the back door. 

Nicole blinks her eyes a few times, making sure she isn’t just seeing things. Each time her eyes open, there’s still a girl walking in her direction, blonde hair, piercing blue eyes. 

“You won by two points!” The boy retorts. “I’d hardly call that being smoked,” he laughs. 

“Whatev-” she’s quickly cut off by making eye contact with Nicole. 

Nicole stops in her tracks at the familiar figure standing in her line of view. She’s wearing a loose fitting basketball jersey, worn out hightops and carrying a basketball under her arm. The girl takes a few more steps toward Nicole before she speaks again.

“Nicole,” she says as if she can’t believe Nicole is standing there either. “I thought you were gone.” She sets the ball down on a nearby pool table and takes a few more steps forward. 

“Hey, Eliza,” Nicole manages to say. She’s not sure what else to say. She feels extremely awkward. All she wants to do is abandon this potentially uncomfortable conversation and go stand by her girlfriend who’s caught up in her pool game with Mattie right now. 

“Nicole Haught?!” The boy that entered with Eliza calls out as he makes his way across the room. 

“Charlie!” Nicole responds, realizing she knows the boy who came in with Eliza. She’s clearly more excited to see him. “What’s up, man?” She asks. 

He puts his fist out for a fist bump when he reaches the redhead. She returns the bump and notices Mattie and Waverly now have shifted their attention from the pool table to what’s going on where Nicole and Gretta are. 

She fully expects Waverly to make her way over to her and hypothetically pee all over her ‘property.’ At least that’s what she would do if it were the other way around. But she realizes that the brunette is a lot more classier than she is.

“I take it you got my letter,” Eliza assumes. 

Nicole turns her attention to the blonde. She thinks about how she imagined this moment so many times in her head. Ever since the day she left, she pictured what it would be like if she ever came back. She used to dream about picking up where they left off, things going back to the way they were. Now all she wants to do is crawl in a hole and pretend this isn’t happening.

“No,” Nicole says. “I mean, I did, I just,” she stutters. 

“Threw it away?” Eliza asks. Nicole shakes her head. 

“Didn’t read it,” she says, honestly. “I still have it.” 

“I guess I deserve that,” Eliza says, softly. She always did have a way of being comforting, even if Nicole was frustrated. “So what are you doing back then?” She asks. “I heard you had a comfy, small town life now among the rich,” she says with a laugh. 

News travels fast. 

“I was just,” Nicole turns her attention to Waverly who is now making her way over toward Nicole with Mattie by her side. “Visiting with my girlfriend,” she says. 

Waverly smiles at her when she hears the words she says. Eliza's eyes widen a bit at the statement. What does she expect, Nicole to sit around waiting for her? She left. 

Nicole reaches her hand out for Waverly to take. Instead, she feels the brunette slide her arms around her waist. She happily moves her arm, draping it over Waverly’s shoulder, pulling her closer to her body. She feels Waverly bunch up the fabric of the bottom of her shirt a bit, tracing shapes on the skin underneath, easing her nerves a bit. 

“Nicole has been showing me around the city,” Waverly says with a polite smile. “I’ve never been and she’s sweet enough to be my personal tour guide,” she says, shooting a wink in Nicole’s direction. 

Nicole grins slightly at the brunette killing her with kindness. She wasn’t quite sure how Waverly was going to react. She’s seen jealous Waverly, she’s even seen angry Waverly, but Waverly with a bunch of strangers is a whole new ball game for her. 

“Babe, this is Eliza,” Nicole decides to at least introduce the two of them, making it clear to Eliza she isn’t there for her. “Eliza, this is Waverly.”

“Nice to meet you,” Eliza says with a smile. The smile is partially genuine. Nicole can still read her fairly well. Eliza has never been a truly malicious person, but she knew how to fight dirty when necessary. Nicole is a little afraid that side is about to come out. 

“You too,” Waverly says. An awkward silence falls over the group and Nicole quickly tries to think of something else to say to break it. 

The boy standing nearby coughs to gain their attention.

“Oh yeah. And this is Charlie,” Nicole says, quickly, gesturing toward him.

“Nice to meet you, Charlie,” Waverly says with a smile, shaking the boy’s outstretched hand before returning her arm around Nicole’s waist. 

“Nice to meet you, Waverly,” the boy says with a smile. 

There’s another brief awkward silence before Mattie suggests that they go back to playing their game. They ask for the rest of the group wants to come watch. They agree and they all make their way over to the pool table. Waverly takes Nicole by the hand as they walk and doesn’t let go until the last moment possible. 

Before taking her turn in the game, Nicole pulls her by the arm, closer to her body. Waverly grins back at her girlfriend and pushes up on her toes, whispering something into her ear that makes Nicole’s eyes widen a bit. She’s not sure if Waverly is trying to make Eliza jealous, but it might have worked. She notices Eliza turn her head so she isn’t looking in their direction anymore. Waverly places a kiss on Nicole’s cheek before making her way over to the pool table for her shot. 

Nicole’s face feels warm, but she can’t keep her eyes off of her girlfriend as she leans over the pool table. She swears she’s pushing her ass out further than she was before. Is it possible that Waverly Earp is trying to seduce her in front of her friends right now? The brunette glances over her shoulder, winking at Nicole before focusing back on the ball. 

She swallows hard and Waverly takes extra time to line up her shot before pulling the cue back and hitting her final ball in. Nicole smiles at her when she sees her celebrate the shot. 

“So you really didn’t know I’d be here?” Eliza says to Nicole as the redhead continues to focus her attention on her girlfriend. 

“Not until a few minutes before we got to the center,” Nicole informs her, her eyes don’t leave Waverly. “How long are you back for?” She asks, attempting to make small talk. 

“For good most likely,” Eliza says. “I got a job here, I’m running a couple of youth programs. Tried college for a semester, wasn’t really my thing.” 

“What about your mom?” Nicole asks. Waverly is back to leaning over the table, lining up her cue to hit the 8 ball in. Nicole’s eyes drift down to her ass, making it difficult for her to focus on the conversation. 

“She’s around, physically,” Eliza says. “Prefers drugs over most people, myself included.” 

Nicole blinks a few times, attempting to clear the dirty thoughts of her girlfriend from her mind for a moment. She feels empathetic for the blonde. Regardless of what they’ve gone through, she can’t push aside the fact that she once loved her. She might not be that for her anymore, but that doesn’t erase the past they have together. 

“I’m sorry,” Nicole says, apologetically. 

“It’s okay,” Eliza assures her. “This place has always been more of my home than anywhere else.” Nicole sees her gesture around the room from the corner of her eye, but she’s quickly distracted by her girlfriend celebrating a win on the pool table. 

She watches as Waverly shakes Mattie’s hand before turning her attention to Nicole, making her way back over to her side. “I never knew you were that good at pool,” Nicole says with a grin as she wraps her arm around Waverly, bringing her close to her body again. 

“So how long are you guys in town?” Charlie asks. Nicole looks down at her phone, realizing it’s more like early evening now. She feels her stomach growl and quickly places her hand over it, hoping the echoing isn’t too loud. 

“We have to get back tonight,” Nicole tells him. Waverly doesn’t seem to be in a hurry. 

“Do you guys at least want to get dinner or something before you leave?” Charlie asks. Nicole turns toward Waverly who is nodding in agreeance. 

“Sounds great,” the brunette says. 

****   
  


Dinner ends up being with just Charlie and Mattie. Gretta and Eliza both have to work, which Nicole is okay with. Not that she doesn’t want to spend more time with them, but the thought of spending more time with her ex girlfriend and her current girlfriend was causing her more anxiety than she wanted for the rest of their trip. 

They settle on a small, local restaurant that Nicole and her friends used to frequent after school or after hanging out at the center. Conversation continues to be natural between Waverly and her friends. Nicole can’t help but smile as she watches them for a moment. 

Waverly takes time to ask about their lives and their interests while answering questions about her own. Nicole braces herself for the jokes about her living with a police officer and dating the mayor’s daughter, but they don’t really come. 

Waverly’s hand doesn’t leave her leg very often throughout the meal. It gives her a constant sense of comfort as she revisits some of her past with her friends, not necessarily bad things, but things she tried to leave behind in the city. 

After they finish eating and settle the bill, they make their way out into the fresh air, where the darkness of night has now fallen over the city. She catches Waverly looking up and around the surrounding area. 

“You almost can’t tell it's dark out,” Waverly says. Nicole nods. 

“Welcome to the city,” she says with a laugh. “You see why I love our home at night?” She asks. She notices how easily she calls Purgatory home while talking with Waverly. 

Waverly laughs. “Yeah, it’s way different there,” she explains. “There’s stars for miles.” 

“It’s pretty amazing,” Nicole adds. “You guys should really come check it out sometime!” She suggests. 

Her friends nod in agreement. “And you two shouldn’t be strangers anymore,” Mattie adds. “Come by anytime!” 

“We’ll be back,” Waverly says with a smile. They say their goodbyes, explaining they should be getting back to the car to head back home. Nicole promises she’ll be back to visit again and Waverly agrees to come as well. 

As they walk back toward the car, Nicole points out a few more locations around the city, telling a few stories of her time there as Waverly listens quietly. 

“Thank you,” Nicole finally says. Waverly looks confused for a moment. “Thank you for coming here and being interested in what’s important to me.” 

“If it's important to you, I want to know about it,” Waverly says with a smile. 

“And sorry about the whole Eliza thing, I really didn’t know she was going to be here,” Nicole explains, hoping there won’t be any hard feelings about it.

“Baby,” Waverly says. “I don’t think you were trying to take me here to get back with her or anything,” she laughs a little. 

Nicole laughs, squeezing Waverly’s hand a little tighter as they continue talking toward the parking garage. By the time they make it back to the car, Nicole notices Waverly yawning. “Are you going to make it?” Nicole teases. 

“Yeah, I’m just a little tired,” the brunette says. They climb into the car and pull out of the parking garage. It doesn’t take long before Waverly is yawning again. 

“Are you sure?” Nicole asks.

“We could stop for the night somewhere,” Waverly suggests. Nicole pauses for a moment. She’s a little uneasy about staying longer than they need to because she doesn’t want to piss Waverly’s dad off of he finds out, but at the same time, she doesn’t want to make the brunette drive if she’s tired. 

“You sure?” She asks. 

“Yeah,” Waverly says, confidently.. “I don’t want this trip to end yet.” 


	17. Chapter 17

When they arrive at the hotel that Waverly picks out, Nicole watches as her girlfriend pulls a duffle bag out of the trunk of her car. Nicole gives her a puzzled look due to the spontaneous nature of their trip. 

“Always be prepared,” the brunette says as she takes the lead into the hotel, making her way to the front desk to check them into a room.

“One bed or two?” She hears the woman at the counter asks. 

“One is fine,” Waverly says sweetly. 

A few minutes later she’s handing the woman a credit card from her wallet and receiving a set of room keys in return. After another moment, the brunette turns around and gestures for Nicole to follow her. 

“Have you done this before?” Nicole says with a laugh. 

“Check into a hotel, with my girlfriend, in a place I’ve never been?” Waverly asks with a laugh. “All the time,” she says with a wink. 

“I guess you learn something new everyday,” Nicole teases as she follows her girlfriend down the hall to the elevator of the hotel. “So is your dad going to kill you when he sees the charge in your card?” She asks as they enter the elevator. 

“No, I texted Wynonna and she put it on her card,” Waverly says with a shrug. “She’s going to stay at Doc’s tonight and cover for me. My card is just for incidentals.”

Nicole’s eyes widen in surprise at her girlfriend’s ability to be stealthy to get what she wants. While her father might terrify Nicole, Waverly seems to really know her way around things. As they ride the elevator to the fourth floor, Nicole reaches over and takes Waverly’s hand in her own. 

Her mind floods with thoughts about being alone in a hotel room with her girlfriend. Not that they haven’t slept in the same bed before, but they’ve never been fully alone without the possibility of someone walking in on them. She sees Waverly leaning over the pool table earlier in the day, she feels her drawing shapes on her skin with her fingers. She shakes her head, attempting to get rid of the impure thoughts she’s having. 

“Is everything okay?” Waverly asks. She must have noticed her head shake. 

“Yeah,” Nicole says with a smile. The elevator beeps and the doors slide open. Waverly pulls Nicole’s hand, leading her down the hall to their room. 

“Here we are,” Waverly says with a smile. She takes the key and slide it into the slot on the door, the light glows green. 

The room isn’t huge, but it isn’t too small. There’s a large bed in the middle of the room, a TV, a small table and chair. They look around for a moment before Waverly heads to the window, opening the curtain to reveal a view of the city. 

“Wow,” she says. “This is awesome!” 

Nicole smiles at her girlfriend. “So you like it here?” She asks. She wraps her arms around the brunette’s waist. 

“I do,” Waverly says, leaning up for a kiss. “You’re definitely taking me back,” she says when she pulls back from the kiss. 

“Deal,” Nicole smiles. 

“Your friends are really cool,” Waverly tells her. She smiles at the thought. It’s been a while since she’s talked to the people from the city. She hasn’t been in contact with anyone since she left and even before that she admits that she had been pretty withdrawn from then. Since Eliza left, nothing felt the same. Nothing felt real. She didn’t feel whole. Not until Waverly. 

“They really like you,” Nicole tells her. “But what’s not to like?” She smiles. 

“You’re a flatterer,” Waverly teases, smiling back at the redhead. “But really, I like it here. No one made me feel out of place or different, it’s a nice change from where I grew up.” 

Nicole watches as Waverly cringes a little as the words come out of her mouth. It’s like she finally realizes how difficult it was for Nicole to be dropped into that world, doing anything she could to keep her head above water. 

“Purgatory has its perks,” Nicole says, kissing her on the cheek. 

“Yeah, yeah,” Waverly says, brushing off the compliment. “Hey, I should probably call Chrissy and make sure she’s keeping up the cover,” Waverly says, pulling her phone out of her back pocket and waving it in the air a bit. Nicole nods in agreement and watches as Waverly takes a seat on the bed. “Speaking of Chrissy,” the brunette continues. “I think she’d be into your friend, Charlie.” 

“Charlie?” Nicole asks. “Really?” She didn’t really take Chrissy’s request to hook her up seriously, but maybe Waverly did. 

“Yeah!” Waverly says. “He’s great!” Nicole agrees with her, he is a really nice guy. 

“He is,” she says. “You really think she wants us to hook her up with someone?” She asks. 

“I don’t think she’d be mad,” Waverly says with a laugh. “I’m just sick of seeing guys taking advantage of her or treating her like crap at home.” 

“If you mean Robin, I’m not sure if I’d consider that treating her like crap,” Nicole tells her. 

“No,” Waverly says. “Not him. He actually took the time to explain himself to her, it’s not his fault that he’s gay,” she says with a shrug. 

Nicole laughs. “Yeah, I think we can understand that one,” she says, making Waverly laugh. “I’ll talk to him and see if he’s interested in meeting her.” 

“Okay, I’ll hold off on telling her then, she’ll bug me about it too much,” Waverly laughs. 

“Deal,” Nicole says. “Hey, do you mind if I take a shower quick?” Nicole asks as she gestures toward the bathroom. Waverly shakes her head at her and smiles. 

“Go ahead,” the brunette says. She settles into the bed a little more, leaning against the headboard and finds Chrissy’s name on her phone to call her. Nicole smiles back at her girlfriend. She can’t help but think about how adorable she is. 

She turns and makes her way into the bathroom. She leans into the shower, figuring out how to work the shower before she takes her clothes off to step in and under the warm water. 

She holds her hand under the water, waiting for the temperature to be perfect. When it’s just right, she discards her clothes in a heap on the bathroom floor and slowly steps underneath the cascading water. 

The water hits her body and she lets out a long breath that she feels like she’s been holding in all day. Being back in the city has brought back a rollercoaster of emotions, but she’s glad she was able to take Waverly here, to show her where she came from. Maybe she’ll understand now that it’s not as bad as people like to make it seem. 

Even seeing Eliza wasn’t as bad as she thought it would be. She was more afraid that Waverly would become upset with her, thinking that she planned it on purpose to see her ex girlfriend. She now wonders even more what the hell is in that letter. 

“Nicole?” Waverly voices echoes through the bathroom, breaking her from her thoughts. She’s not sure how long she’s been in the shower, but she knows it can’t be too long. 

“Waves?” She calls out. She peels back the curtain a little to check on the brunette. “Is everything okay?”

“Yeah, I was wondering if I could join you,” Waverly tells her. Nicole’s eyes widen quickly. She feels her mouth suddenly become dry. This would be the first time she’s seeing the brunette completely naked and vice versa. 

“Are you sure?” She asks. She doesn’t want Waverly to feel pressured into anything or rush anything without being one hundred percent ready.

“Yeah, it’s just a shower right?” Waverly asks. She doesn’t seem to have other intentions, but Nicole knows she’s going to have a hard time keeping her hands to herself. 

“Uh, yeah,” Nicole agrees. 

Nicole closes the curtain to allow Waverly some privacy as she peels her clothes off of her body and rinses the rest of the shampoo out of her hair. It doesn’t take long before the brunette is pulling back the curtain slightly. “Can I come in?” She asks without looking behind the curtain yet. 

“Yeah,” Nicole says, reminding herself not to stare at the brunette’s body when she enters the shower.

Waverly pulls back the curtain to step into the shower. Nicole moves to the side, allowing her to step under the warm water. “Is it too hot?” She asks. 

“No, it’s good,” Waverly says. She closes her eyes and tilts her head back, allowing the water to cascade over her face. Nicole takes the opportunity to steal a quick glance at the brunette’s body. Memorizing every curve, every line, every muscle as quickly as possible. 

Waverly opens her eyes and Nicole blushes when the brunette catches her staring. Waverly looks down at her own naked body for a moment. She doesn’t seem embarrassed, she seems confident. And Nicole feels that she has every right to be. Her body is gorgeous. She tries to avoid looking down at her own in fear that she’ll think about all of her flaws and not want to be seen naked anymore. 

“I’m sorry, is this weird?” Waverly asks, gesturing between the pair both standing at a slight distance from each other in the shower. 

“No,” Nicole says quickly. “I just, uh, I just don’t want to do anything that makes you uncomfortable,” she reminds her. “We’ve never been naked together.”

“I know,” Waverly says. “Here,” she says as she takes Nicole’s hands and moves them to her hips. The redhead plants her hands firmly where the brunette placed them. 

Waverly pushes up on her toes slightly, pressing her lips against Nicole’s. Nicole is careful not to move her hands without permission, which is a lot easier said than done. She feels the brunette’s tongue brush gently against her bottom lip as if it’s asking for permission to enter. She parts her lips a little more, letting their tongues graze softly. 

The kiss deepens and she feels Waverly’s hands make themselves at home on either side of her face, cupping her cheeks. The brunette brings her body a little closer, skin brushing just slightly, but enough for Nicole to hope she’ll come closer. When she gets her wish, a throaty moan escapes from her mouth into the kiss. 

She starts to move her hands, roaming the brunette’s body a bit. Waverly doesn’t seem to mind. Her palms press against the brunette’s firm abs, sliding toward her chest. She regains consciousness and pauses for a moment, pulling back from the kiss. 

“Sorry sorry sorry,” she says quickly, lifting her hands in the air, away from Waverly’s body. 

“It’s okay,” Waverly says. “I want. I, I think I’m ready,” she stutters a little. She places her hand flat against Nicole’s chest over her heart, the other one brushes lightly against the skin on her hip. 

“You think you’re ready?” Nicole asks, wanting to be sure that she is one hundred percent certain. She doesn’t want her to feel pressured because they’re alone in a hotel room for the night. As much as Nicole wants this, she’s perfectly content with just laying together and talking if that’s what she wanted. “We don’t have to…”

“I’m ready,” Waverly says, more confidently this time. Nicole’s brain short circuits at the thought of finally having sex with Waverly. Her eyes widen in surprise. The brunette, taking both of Nicole’s hands in her own, pushes her body close to the redhead’s again. Their lips meet, softly at first, deepening for a moment before Nicole pulls back a little. 

“Should we take this out there then?” Nicole asks, gesturing toward the bedroom. Waverly giggles and nods. 

Nicole quickly washes her face and steps out of the shower, allowing Waverly time to finish her shower before she joins her in the other room. She steps out of the shower, reaching for a towel to dry her body off with. When she’s fairly dry, she wraps the towel around her body and makes her way out into the bedroom, telling Waverly to take her time doing what she needs to. 

When she leaves the bathroom, she closes the door behind her. She leaves her clothes discarded on the bathroom floor for now, assuming she won’t need to put them back on for a while. She ditches her towel over the back of the chair at the table. She’s suddenly cold standing in the room completely naked. She’s not sure where she should go, but quickly decides to climb under the blankets of the bed to keep warm. 

The room is quiet. The only thing she can hear is the sound of the shower and her thoughts racing in her head as she waits for the brunette to come out and join her. She’s not sure what she’s doing in the bathroom, but doesn’t rush her. Maybe she’s changing her mind. 

Before Nicole can continue to doubt herself and question everything, her girlfriend makes her way out of the bathroom, wrapped in a towel. Nicole can’t help but smile as the girl drops her towel and quickly climbs under the blankets next to the redhead. 

“Hi,” the brunette says softly. 

“Hi,” Nicole smiles. She rolls onto her side, facing the brunette. She feels her nerves taking over, but pushes them to the side and gestures for Waverly to move closer to her.

Waverly scoots closer to her in the bed and Nicole drapes her arm over the brunette’s torso, her skin feels warm against Waverly’s. 

“You’re sure?” Nicole’s before making any other movements. 

“Yes,” Waverly says with a smile. Nicole positions herself so she’s hovering over the brunette’s body. 

“If something is too much you promise to tell me?” She continues to question. 

“Yes,” Waverly says. She groans a little at the constant questions. 

“You’re sure?” Nicole repeats once more. 

“Baby,” Waverly whines. “You’re really, really sweet, but I promise, I’m ready,” she reassures her, cupping her cheeks with her hands. “Now, please, I need you to touch me because I’m going crazy with your sexy body this close to me.” 

Nicole’s eyes widen and she nods quickly, leaning in to capture Waverly’s lips with her own. She takes Waverly’s direction and begins exploring her body with her hand at first. She feels goosebumps form on the brunette’s skin as her fingers trail down her body. 

Her thumb ghosts Waverly’s left breast for a moment, before cupping the mound with her palm, gently squeezing it with her hand. Waverly moans into her mouth, driving Nicole crazy. She shifts from the brunette’s lips to trailing kisses down her jawline to her neck. 

Waverly throws her head back further on the pillow as if she is inviting the redhead’s lips to her neck. The brunette let’s out another moan as Nicole takes the silent invite and continues making her way further down her neck, leaving a trail of warm kisses on the brunette’s sensitive skin. 

She feels the brunette arch her back into her touch as she trails her fingers down her body, running them over her abs that tighten under her touch. Waverly’s arms reach behind Nicole, palms pressing against her back, pulling her closer. Nicole’s bare skin is fire against Waverly’s as the brunette’s hand slide behind her head, kissing her with a hunger Nicole has never seen before. 

All she wants to do is feel and taste the brunette so badly, it’s hard for her to slow herself down. She begins to trail a path with her warm lips and tongue down Waverly’s body. As she makes her way further down, she stops to explore the more sensitive spots of her body, eliciting another moan from the brunette. 

She takes her time with her mouth over one of Waverly’s nipples, rolling the other one between her thumb and index finger of her free hand. She feels the brunette bucking her hips below her as if she’s trying to get some release. 

Nicole takes the opportunity to snake her hand between them, brushing her fingers gently against the brunette’s inner thigh. She hears Waverly take a sharp breath in, hips moving up toward her hand. She trails her fingers toward her center, feeling how turned on the brunette is. She continues kissing across her chest, back toward her neck. 

“Nicole,” Waverly breathes out. Nicole pauses and pulls back, making eye contact with her girlfriend to make sure everything is okay. 

“Are you alright?” Nicole asks. Waverly nods and gestures for her to come up to where she is. Nicole moves back up to Waverly’s face, kissing her lips right away. 

“Nicole,” Waverly breathes out again. 

“Yeah?” Nicole asks between kisses. 

“Touch me,” Waverly pleads. 

Nicole nods quickly and slides her fingers through the warm wetness between Waverly’s legs. Another moan escapes Waverly’s lips, louder this time. Nicole tries to focus on the brunette’s body language, gauging what she likes with every movement she makes. Nerves start to surface, afraid she’s going to do something wrong. She takes a breath and creates a rhythm, rubbing circles with her fingers. 

She continues rubbing circles with her fingers, listening to the sounds of her girlfriend’s breathing speed up and the soft moans that slip out of her mouth every once in a while. She feels her own arousal building the longer she continues.

Nicole slides her fingers further down, slipping one slowly inside Waverly’s center, pumping it in and out. Waverly’s hips begin to move at a rhythm with Nicole’s hand. After a few moments, she inserts a second finger. 

She focuses on Waverly’s face, noticing her brow furrowing slightly. “Is this okay?” Nicole asks. 

Waverly nods. “Keep going,” she breathes out. 

Nicole nods and continues pumping, slowly at first. She gradually picks up her speed when Waverly encourages her to do so. 

Waverly lets out another loud moan. Nicole continues to pump in and out until the brunette tells her she’s getting close. This only encourages her to speed her movements up a little more, using her thumb to rub circles as her index and middle fingers continue inside the brunette. 

It’s not much longer before Waverly’s hips are moving less at a rhythm and more out of a release. Her hips quickly trust into Nicole’s hand for a moment, one last loud moan escaping from her lips, before dropping her body back down onto the bed. Nicole watches as Waverly’s body starts to come back to a calmer state and she slowly removes her hand.

She can’t help but smile at the sight of the girl she loves, laying beneath her on the bed. Waverly reaches up with her hands, pulling Nicole down to her until their lips meet. 

“Was that okay?” Nicole asks. She lays a few kisses across Waverly’s skin before she lays down next to her on the bed, propping her head up with her hand. She uses her free hand to trace shapes onto the brunette’s skin as she continues to catch her breath. 

“That was amazing,” Waverly says, grinning from ear to ear. Her chest continues to rise and fall for a moment until her breathing calms a bit more. 

Nicole can’t help but smile, satisfied with herself. After a few moments, Waverly rolls forward her, pressing their bodies together. The feeling of Waverly’s body against hers sends a wave of electricity through her. She places her hand on Waverly’s cheek and leans in, kissing her hard. Waverly’s tongue darts into her mouth as the kiss deepens quickly. A small moan escapes from Nicole’s mouth. 

She feels Waverly’s hand as it begins to drift down her body. It’s soft on her skin, but it’s on a mission. She gasps when she feels the brunette’s hand press again her breast, nipple rolling between two fingers, eliciting another moan from her mouth. 

They continue making out as Waverly’s hand begins to drift further south. Something in Nicole makes her pause for a moment. “Wait,” she pants. “Are you sure?” 

Waverly nods. “I need to touch you,” she grunts in a way that’s almost primal. Nicole nods in agreeance, allowing the brunette to continue. “I just might need you to guide me a little,” she says, a little sheepishly this time. 

Nicole nods again as Waverly’s hand continues south. When she’s close to Nicole’s center, she worries that she might be surprised by how turned on she is. Waverly slowly slides two fingers into her wetness, gasping slightly at the touch. Nicole furrows her brow, unsure how to read the brunette.

“Is everything okay?” She asks. Waverly begins to explore the area a little more with her fingers, a small moan escapes from Nicole’s mouth. 

“You’re so wet,” Waverly tells her. 

“You turn me on a lot,” Nicole shrugs, a little embarrassed. 

“It’s so sexy,” Waverly says with a grin as she presses her lips against the redhead’s again. 

Nicole smiles into the kiss. She focuses on the movements Waverly makes with her hand. She’s much more confident in what she’s doing than Nicole expected based on the nerves she could feel radiating from the brunette before hand. It’s not long before she feels Waverly slowly sliding two fingers inside of her. Her eyes widen and a gasp escapes her mouth. 

“Is this okay?” Waverly asks. 

“Fuck!” She moans louder than she meant to. “I mean yes.” 

She starts moving her hips at a rhythm with Waverly’s hand as the brunette continues to pump, pressing hot, wet kisses down her neck and collarbone. 

A few moments later, she feels herself coming undone. Waverly continues moving at a steady pace until she feels her body tense as she contacts around her girlfriend fingers. She reaches down, steadying the brunette’s hand when she becomes too sensitive for her to continue. 

Waverly presses a few more kisses against Nicole’s neck and cheek before laying back down next to her, donning a satisfied grin. 

“You sure you’ve never done that before?” Nicole asks with a smile as she tucks loose hairs behind Waverly’s ear.

Waverly giggles and shakes her head. “Only on myself,” she admits. 

Nicole’s eyes widen and she’s already turned on again at the thought of the brunette touching herself. “You’re so sexy,” Nicole whispers as she captures Waverly’s lips with her own. 

The kiss is soft and sweet. When they pull away, Nicole lays on her back, lifting her arm to allow Waverly space to cuddle up next to her. The brunette takes the silent invite and curls up next to her girlfriend without hesitation. Nicole plants a kiss on her forehead and pulls the blanket over them.

“I love you,” Waverly whispers, closing her eyes for a moment. 

Nicole smiles back at her. “I love you too.”

“Thank you for taking me to the city,” Waverly says. “Thank you for letting me in,” she smiles, eyes still closed.

“Sorry I made you miss school,” Nicole apologizes. She’s still a little surprised the brunette went with skipping the majority of the school day for an impromptu trip to the city. 

“It was actually pretty fun,” Waverly admits. She opens her eyes and grins up at the redhead. “I felt so rebellious,” she says.

“First time skipping school?” Nicole asks. She’s sure she already knows the answer. 

Waverly nods. 

“Let’s not make it a habit,” She says with a wink, booping Nicole on the nose. 

The redhead laughs and agrees. “Man, my girlfriend is such a nerd,” she teases. Waverly playfully slaps her arm. “Ow!” Nicole pretends time be hurt. 

“Don’t call me names!” Waverly warns. 

“Sorry,” Nicole says apologetically. She sees exhaustion start to take over her girlfriend as a yawn pours out of her mouth. “Get some sleep, babe,” she whispers as she reaches up and turns off the lamp that’s on the nightstand next to them. 

She feels Waverly push herself further into her body, not knowing that was even possible. She smiles to herself, hardly making out the outline of her girlfriends body in the dark. She tries to think of a time where life felt more perfect than it does this very moment and in reality, she can’t. 

It doesn’t take long before she hears the sound of her girlfriends soft breathing next to her, a sound she loves. She closes her eyes and feels her body begin to relax, succumbing to sleep moments later. 

—————

Nicole isn’t sure what time it is when she feels Waverly shifting in the bed next to her. If she could guess it’s still pretty early, but late enough for the sun to be up and shining through the window from what she can tell through her eyelids. She tries to keep her eyes closed for as long as possible, but it doesn’t help when she feels her girlfriend’s hands on her body, drawing shapes with her fingers against the bare skin of her abdomen. 

“How early is it?” Nicole asks, softly, her voice is a little raspy from just waking up. 

“It’s almost 8,” Waverly says. Nicole groans and covers her face with her hands, refusing to open her eyes. “You’d be up a long time ago if we had school,” the brunette tries to argue. 

“It’s Saturday,” Nicole whines. “I wouldn’t be caught dead at school on a Saturday,” she informs her. She peels her hands back from her face, slowly squinting her eyes open. 

“Well we need to get back at some point before anyone realizes we’re missing,” Waverly says. Nicole groans again. She doesn’t want to go back to reality, not yet. 

“Can’t we just enjoy this for a little while longer?” She asks, pulling the brunette into her body a little more. Waverly leans down to kiss the redhead’s lips, tongues lightly brushing as soon as their lips meet. 

“Mm,” Waverly hums into Nicole’s mouth. Soon hands begin to explore again as Nicole lifts herself in the bed, giving over the brunette’s body. They kiss until someone needs to come up for air. Nicole takes this opportunity to start trailing a line of kisses down Waverly’s jawline, to her neck and collarbone. 

She looks up in between kisses to gauge the the brunette’s body language, receiving a silent nod that it’s okay to keep going. Nicole takes advantage if the permission, pushing the blanket back a bit, and continues kissing down Waverly’s body. 

Her skin is warm under the redhead’s lips. She trails a line of kisses down her abdomen, feeling the muscles contract under her lips. When she moves lower on Waverly’s body, she positions herself between her legs on the bed, moving the brunette’s legs apart slightly. She takes her time, running her fingers down the warm, soft skin followed by a trail of kisses. 

Nicole traces the outline of Waverly’s inner thighs with her tongue, causing her to become more undone. She grins as the brunette’s hips began to lift further up into her kisses. Her eyes are full of desperation and before she can beg for contact, Nicole places her hands on either side of Waverly’s hips to brace herself and steady the brunette as she thrusts her tongue into Waverly. The brunette lets out a loud moan right away, causing Nicole to hum with pleasure as she begins to lick circles with her tongue.

“Fuck,” Waverly calls out, causing Nicole to speed up her movements a little more. She feels the brunette’s hips thrust toward her at a steady rhythm with her tongue. 

She slides two fingers slowly into Waverly’s center, continuing to lick circles as she thrusts in and out. It’s not long before she hears the brunette’s breathing speed up, letting out small moans more frequently. Nicole continues the movements until Waverly is coming with another loud moan. 

Waverly slowly catches her breath as Nicole removes her fingers, licking a couple lore long strokes before returning to Waverly’s side on the bed. The brunette quickly grabs her face and kisses her hard. Nicole smiles into the kiss. 

They lay together for a few moments. Nicole feels a calm come over them as they both catch their breath again. After a little while, Waverly rolls out of bed and gestures for the redhead to follow her. 

“Where are you going?” Nicole asks.

“Shower,” Waverly says. 

“But we already showered,” Nicole reminds her. 

“Not like we’re about to,” Waverly grins at her girlfriend, giving her a quick wink before she turns and walks toward the bathroom. Nicole’s jaw drops a bit, but she quickly picks it up and follows the brunette into the bathroom. 

About an hour later, they’re finally dressed and making their way down to the hotel lobby. They grab a couple things to eat from the continental breakfast before they make their way to the counter to check out of the room and head home for the day. 

The car ride home feels quicker than it did on the way there. Nicole wishes they could just spend the day driving around, exploring more places without anyone to answer to. Sometimes she forgets that some people have real families that would actually come looking for them if they went missing. 

She doesn’t want Waverly to get in any trouble for being out of town for the night without anyone knowing. At least Wynonna knew, she assumes she’s pretty good at covering for her since she’s up to no good most of the time anyway. Knowing Wynonna, she probably would gladly not spend time around her father so she’s probably grateful that they had her stay out of the house for the night. 

They talk a little about plans for the rest of the weekend. They usually spend their weekends together so this one wasn’t going to be much different. Waverly tells her that Chrissy wanted help on her history project because her partner wasn’t doing much work. 

“I tried to tell her they should have started it early,” Waverly says. “And she just made fun of me.” 

“Not everyone is as smart as you, baby,” Nicole tells her. 

She remembers when Waverly tried to get a different partner because she thought Nicole wasn’t going to take it seriously. Boy is she glad that she wasn’t able to switch. She wonders what it would be like if they were never assigned as partners, but quickly retracts the thoughts. She doesn’t want to have to think about what life would be like for her if she didn’t have Waverly in it. 

As they pull into the driveway of her house, Nicole lets out a sigh at the fact that they’re back. Waverly squeezes her hand, that she has been holding the entire drive, a little tighter. 

“Back to reality again,” Waverly says with a soft smile. Nicole groans and lifts Waverly’s hand to her mouth, kissing it softly. 

“I don’t want to,” she whines, causing her girlfriend to laugh. 

They pull closer to the house and Nicole squints a little, noticing there’s a car in the driveway that she doesn’t recognize. 

“I wonder who’s here,” she says. She looks over at Waverly. She swears all of the blood has left her face because she’s never seen the girl so pale. 

“It’s my dad,” Waverly tells her. 

“Shit.” 


	18. Chapter 18

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Happy New Year, everyone! I just wanted to thank you guys for continuing to read my stuff and support me and I hope you continue to enjoy this story!

“Shit,” Nicole repeats. 

Waverly parks the car next to her father’s car. Nicole can feel her hand shaking in her own. They remain silent in the car for a moment before anyone speaks.

“My dad is here. Why is my dad here?” Waverly asks, panic taking over. 

“I don’t know,” Nicole says. 

She tries to remain calm even though on the inside she’s totally freaking out. Does he know they were gone so long? Maybe he was just stopping by to see Randy and Chrissy told them that they were out to lunch or something. Maybe they didn’t even discuss the whereabouts of the pair. 

They sit in the car for a few more silent moments after Waverly turns it off, regaining their composure. Slowly climbing out of the car, the pair makes their way into the house to face whatever is behind that door. 

As Nicole opens the door, they slowly enter the house. It’s quiet. Too quiet.

Ward and Nedley come walking around the corner, toward the front door. Nicole takes a deep breath in and holds it before letting it out. They don’t look happy, especially not Ward. 

“Hey dad, what are you doing here?” Waverly asks, nonchalantly. Nicole is impress at her ability to act like nothing's wrong.

“We have that banquet tonight and I haven’t heard from you, so I figured I’d find you here, which I didn’t,” he says. His tone is stern and full of frustration. 

“Sorry, we were, uh, driving around,” she quickly comes up with an excuse. 

Nicole doesn’t speak. She can tell Ward isn’t buying it though. She can feel Randy looking at her. She glances in his direction and sees disappointment in his face as well. Something she knows all too well. She quickly shifts her eyes away from him, focusing them on the floor. 

“All night?” Ward asks.

“No,” Waverly says. Her tone is soft. Nicole can hear the pain in her voice, knowing that she’s going to be in trouble. She’s just not sure how bad. 

“I warned you about hanging out with people like her,” her father snaps, pointing a finger toward Nicole. The redhead looks up at him for a moment, then over toward Waverly. The brunette gives her an apologetic look. 

“Dad-” Waverly tries to speak. 

Nicole assumes she tries to stick up for her. Her insides are screaming as the conversation continues. She’s frozen. 

“It doesn’t lead to anything good, Waverly,” Ward spits. His words sting. Nicole tries not to let them, but they do. Every word he speaks makes her feel like she did a few months ago when she was new in town. “There are plenty of people here like you that you can be friends with or whatever this is,” he gestures with disgust between the pair. “She’s no good for you and we’ve been over this!” 

He continues to ramble about how bad Nicole is for Waverly as if she’s not even there. She doubts he actually cares that she is. With every word that drops from his mouth, all she can think about is taking Waverly’s hand and running out of there. She’s not sure where they would go, but anywhere would be better right now. 

“Okay, that’s enough of that,” Randy chimes in, stopping the man from continuing to tear Nicole down, word by word. “Girls, why don’t you go upstairs while I talk to Ward,” he suggests.

Nicole doesn’t move at first. She forgets how to. She feels Waverly’s hand brush lightly on her skin and she turns her head in her direction. The brunette gestures for her to follow her as she heads for the stairs. 

They climb the stairs and Nicole stops in her tracks when they reach the top. She turns and sits down with her feet a couple steps down. Waverly joins her. The brunette leans her body into Nicole’s side, resting her head on her shoulder. Nicole reaches over and takes Waverly’s hand in her own, lacing their fingers together. They fit perfectly. 

“This is all your fault!” Ward begins to yell at Randy as soon as they’re far enough out of sight. Nicole is sure he knows they can still hear him, but doubts he cares about that either. 

“My fault?” Randy asks. 

“You’re the one that decided it was a good idea to bring her here!” Ward continues to yell. His voice echoes up the stairs louder each time he speaks. Nicole sees Waverly cringe each time. 

“Oh, well forgive me for giving a teenager a safe place to live!” Randy yells. 

This is the most she’s ever heard the man yell. Apparently he can be scary when he wants to be. 

“Well, now she’s influencing my daughter!” Ward argues. 

“Maybe that’s not such a bad thing,” Randy says, a little softer this time. 

“What’s that supposed to mean?” Ward barks. He sounds offended. 

“Nicole isn’t a bad kid, Ward,” Randy reminds him. “She might not come from money, she may come from a different world in your eyes, but she sees the world differently and that’s not a bad thing,” he explains. 

Nicole feels her eyes swell with tears that don’t quite fall yet. She doesn’t have many people stick up for her the way he is right now. 

“Well, I don’t need her teaching my daughter things like that,” Ward continues to be confrontational, clearly not wanting to hear anything Randy is saying. 

“Things like what?” Randy asks. “That there’s more to life than Purgatory? That there’s a bigger world out there?” He asks. “Waverly’s a great kid, that hasn’t changed.”

“She’s out there making a mockery of me in front of the entire town,” Ward spits. Nicole assumes he means the kiss at the football game. “Driving around all night doing god knows what with god knows who! These are things my daughter would never do before  _ she  _ came here!” 

The way he says ‘she’ stings hard. It’s like she’s some sort of monster here to corrupt his daughter. 

“I think if you took a second to look around you, Ward, the town isn’t the one with a problem here,” Randy points out. 

“I think you need to watch who you’re talking to,” Ward warns. 

“Or what?” Randy asks. He doesn’t seem to really fear Ward’s attempt at a threatening tone. 

“I’m the mayor of this town, Randy, I don’t think you want to mess with me, neither does that girl!” Ward spits.

“First of all, that girl’s name is Nicole,” Randy reminds him as if he doesn’t already know. “Second, you can make threats at me all you want, but never again will you make threats about my daughter.”

“I’m not talking about Chrissy,” Ward tells him. 

“Neither am I,” Randy says. 

Ward let’s out a laugh. 

Nicole feels tears well up in her eyes at the sound of the man calling her his daughter. She can’t remember a time that statement didn’t have the word ‘foster’ before it. The argument between the two men continues and she isn’t sure that she wants to continue to listen. It’s becoming too much on her. 

“Maybe we should,” she gestures to her room as she stands up slowly from the stairs. Waverly nods and follows the redhead down the hallway. They move slowly. Nicole’s body feels heavy. She closes the door behind them when they make it into the bedroom. Nicole sits down on the end of her bed. 

“I’m so sorry, Waves,” she says, letting out a sigh. 

“This isn’t all your fault,” Waverly tells her, shaking her head. The brunette stands in front of her for a moment, then starts to pace the room a bit. 

“I shouldn’t have just taken you there like that without anyone knowing,” Nicole says. “Now you’re in trouble with your dad.”

“I’m not worried about that, I’m worried about you,” Waverly says. She stops pacing and faces Nicole. She stands at a small distance from her. Nicole wants to reach out for her, but doesn’t. 

“What?” She asks. 

“I’m making things worse on you,” Waverly tells her. She seems defeated. “You wouldn’t have to worry about my dad if it wasn’t for me.”

“Baby, I’m not worried about him,” Nicole tries to tell her. She tries to be as convincing as possible. 

“But you are. And that’s fair,” Waverly says. “He’s not going to stop until he gets what he wants. How do you think he became mayor?” 

“What are you saying?” Nicole asks. There’s something final in her tone that doesn’t sit right with Nicole. 

“Maybe it’s beyond us right now, Nicole,” Waverly says. Her words sting more than any insult Ward just indirectly spit at her. 

“But I love you,” Nicole says softly. She’s not sure what else to say. She feels desperate, but she’s not sure anything she says is going to fix this right now. 

“I love you too. So much,” Waverly says. Tears swell in her eyes. “So much that I can't do this to you. I can’t put you through hell even if I have to go through it.” 

“You’re not putting me through hell, Waverly,” Nicole says, shaking her head. 

“He’s not going to stop,” Waverly repeats, softly. She takes a step toward Nicole. She’s within arms reach now, but Nicole doesn’t reach out for her.

“So that’s it? You’re just going to walk away because it’s complicated?” Nicole asks, growing a little more frustrated. 

Waverly doesn’t speak. She presses a kiss next to Nicole’s mouth. She can feel the brunette’s heart breaking as well but there’s nothing she can do about it. 

“Can we at least talk about this?” Nicole asks as Waverly backs up, a few tears fall from her eyes. 

“I’m not sure it’ll help. He’s not going to change, Nicole,” Waverly says. “This isn’t new.” 

“So you have to be unhappy then?” Nicole asks.

“He doesn’t care!” Waverly says, louder this time. 

“That’s bullshit,” Nicole argues. “That’s your father and if he actually gives a shit, he’d care more about your happiness than his stupid imagine in this stupid town!” She grows more frustrated with the conversation. 

“I learned pretty early on that that’s not how it works,” Waverly sighs. “I thought you understood that.” 

“I do understand that,” Nicole tells her. “What I don’t understand is why you’re giving up on us.” 

“I’m not giving up on us,” Waverly tells her. 

“Then what do you call this?!” Nicole yells. “You’re dumping me!” 

“I’m protecting you,” Waverly says softly. “You’re so good to me and I’m making your life harder.”

“So it’s over? Nicole asks, defeated. At this point she doesn’t feel like anything she says is going to change Waverly’s mind. 

“Waverly!” Ward calls up the stairs, breaking them from their conversation. She opens the door and calls back to him. “We’re leaving, let’s go!” He barks, sternly. 

Nicole wants to tell her to stay. She wants to tell her everything is going to be okay as long as they do it together. She wants to tell her nothing anyone else says matters. But she doesn’t. 

Waverly turns and makes eye contact with Nicole once more. Her eyes filled with tears than haven’t fallen yet. She feels her heart breaking a little more for the brunette as she turns to leave her bedroom. She wants to chase her, but she doesn’t think it’ll help. So she lets her go.  
  


Her room falls silent as she remains seated on the end of her bed. She stares at the door that Waverly left open when she left her bedroom. She can’t peel her eyes away from it, hoping the brunette will return and take it all back. She wants her to come back so they can talk it out. She wants her to realize they had a good thing and it’s worth fighting for. She wants to be worth fighting for. 

She lays back and changes her focus point to her ceiling rather than her door. A few moments later there’s a soft knock on the doorframe, causing her to sit up to see who it is. 

“Nicole, you okay?” Randy asks, softly. He gives her a sympathetic look. She appreciates it but it won’t fix how she’s feeling at this moment. 

“Define okay,” Nicole says, a little frustrated that he would even ask that at a time like this. 

Randy offers her a soft smile and enters the room a little further. “Hey listen, kiddo.” 

Nicole rubs her face with her hands and refocuses her attention toward her foster father. She’s not mad at him, she’s mad at herself mostly, but she can’t help but let her frustration pour over the edge right now. 

“I know, I know,” she says before he can say anything else. “I messed up and I’m sorry.” 

“That’s not exactly what I was going to say,” he says. He pulls the chair out from her desk and turns it around to face her, taking a seat. “Look, Nicole, people make mistakes. You’re young, you want to have fun, and I get that. But maybe thinking a little more about the consequences of your actions couldn’t hurt?”

This might be the first time she’s had this talk where she doesn’t want to start yelling at the person giving it to her. Usually it’s more of a lecture listing everything she’s suddenly don’t wrong over the entire period of time she’s lived there. Usually they’re so disappointed in something that she did that she doesn’t feel like she’s ever going to come back from it. 

Nicole nods. 

“I know you care about her,” he continues. “We all do.” She squints her eyes a little trying to gauge what he means by his tone. It’s soft and seems a little worried. 

“Yeah, well, she dumped me so,” Nicole trails off. 

Randy gives her a sympathetic look. “I’m sorry, kiddo.” 

“Is this the part you tell me there are more fish in the sea?” Nicole huffs. 

“No,” he laughs. “This is the part that I tell you that you’re a good kid. I know you’ve made some questionable choices, we all have. But that doesn’t change who you are on the inside. Maybe staying out all night with the mayor's daughter wasn’t the best choice, but you learn from it,” he tells her. 

“We stayed at a hotel,” Nicole admits. Randy gives her a questioning look. She hopes he’s not about to try to have ‘the talk’ with her. She’s almost eighteen years old, she gets it. “We drove to the city and we were tired so we got a room so we didn’t have to drive at night,” she explains. “We weren’t being unsafe.”

“I didn’t think you were,” Randy says. “Thank you for the honesty. But if you wanted to go to the city, you could have told me, we all couldn’t have gone. If you ever want to visit places like that I’d gladly take you,” he tells her. 

“I know. I just thought,” she pauses for a moment. “I don’t know what I thought. I got caught up in a moment,” she admits. 

“It happens to the best of us,” Randy assures her. 

Nicole nods. “So am I grounded now?” She asks. Grounding has always meant something different with each family she’s lived with. When she was a lot younger it meant standing in a corner, facing the wall for hours while her foster parents binge watched a bunch of jeopardy. She learned a lot of useless facts that way. 

“Chrissy might kill me if I ground her for things and not you. So I’m going to have to go with yes,” he says with a wink.

Nicole laughs. It’s as genuine as she can muster at the moment. 

“Can I ask you one more thing?” Nicole asks before Randy can stand up to leave her alone in her room. 

“Anything,” the man says with a smile as he stands from the chair.

“Do you think she’s going to be okay?” She asks. Despite everything, she’s mostly worried about Waverly going home with her father when he’s that angry. She’s worried about what he’ll say, she worried about what he’ll do. She just wants to make sure she’s okay and she knows she’s not going to tell her the real answer to that question. 

“I won’t let anything bad happen to her,” Randy says with a genuine smile. She knows he cares about Waverly as well. Waverly and Chrissy have been friends most of their lives so Nicole knows she’s made an impact on Randy as well. She’s made quite the impact on most of the town. 

“Thanks,” Nicole says. 

“Is there anything else you need?” The man asks before he heads for the door. Nicole shakes her head. Truthfully, she just wants to be alone. Actually, she’d rather be with Waverly, but that’s not going to happen. 

She doesn’t move much for the rest of the day. She spends most of it laying on her bed, staring at the ceiling. She wants to text Waverly to make sure she’s okay, but she doesn’t. She thinks about texting Wynonna to check in on her, but doesn’t want to cross boundaries. She thinks about texting Rosita, but doesn’t really want to talk about it. So she just lays there. 

She’s not sure how long she’s been laying down, staring at the ceiling for, but she can say it’s long enough to make out the shapes of what she swears is at least five disney characters in the patterns of her ceiling tiles. There’s a knock at her door, but she doesn’t move. She doesn’t call out. She doesn’t care.

Knock. Knock. Knock.

She sighs. “What?” she finally calls out. She tries to wipe her face, but realizes that any tears that have fallen are now dried to her skin and hair by now.

She can hear the door swing open, but she doesn’t look to see who it is. “Wait, where’s Waverly?” Chrissy’s voices rings in her ears.

“Who knows,” Nicole says, dryly. She still doesn’t move.

“Since when are you two not together on a weekend?” the blonde continues to question. From the sound of it, she’s made her way further into the room.

“Since we’re not together,” Nicole answers. There’s a pause before Chrissy speaks again.

“Wait, what?!” she asks, clearly shocked. 

Nicole groans and sits up on her bed. There’s a sudden pain in her head and she rubs her eyes with her hand. “Did I stutter?” she asks. She cringes internally at the tone of her voice. Chrissy didn’t do anything wrong. “Sorry,” she apologizes quickly. “I don’t know where she is. I assume she went to some banquet thing with her dad.”

“Oh yeah, that’s right,” Chrissy says, most likely remembering that Waverly had told her about it before. She never told Nicole about it. “But rewind, what do you mean you guys aren’t together? What happened?”

“I think maybe you should ask her,” Nicole says, not wanting to fill Waverly’s best friend in on information about her without her knowing.

“Well, are you okay?” Chrissy asks. There’s a comfort in her voice and Nicole can tell she truly cares about her feelings at this moment. Sure, she and Chrissy have had their ups and downs, but she really has come a long way since Nicole has lived there. 

Nicole shakes her head. She doesn’t really have words to say about how she’s feeling at the moment. All she feels is pain. And anger. Lot’s of anger. So much anger she wants to scream.

“Do you think it’s something you two can work out?” Chrissy asks, still not knowing the full story. 

“I’m not sure,” Nicole says. “I’m never going to be who everyone wants me to be,” she says. Chrissy gives her a sympathetic look.

“Look, Nicole,” Chrissy begins. “I know I haven’t been the most welcoming person in the world to you, but I don’t think you should be anyone but you,” she tells her. “You’re actually pretty cool. And I know Waverly sees that too.”

“It doesn’t matter,” Nicole says. She appreciates the effort the blonde is giving to try to make her feel better, but she doesn’t feel like anything is going to work right now. 

“I can talk to her,” Chrissy suggests. 

“I’m not sure it’ll fix anything,” Nicole says. “I think she’s made up her mind about the situation. I know you want to help, and I really appreciate that, but this is just how things go in my life. I get something good every once in a while, then it gets ripped away, or leaves.”

“Well, you deserve more than that,” Chrissy assures her. 

Nicole nods. “I thought so too,” she tells her. “Hey, side note, I have a friend in the city you might like if you were serious about being set up,” she says. She needs something, anything, to distract her at the moment and if setting Chrissy up on a blind date with Charlie is it, then she’s going to go for it. 

“Wait, seriously?” Chrissy asks, she seems excited at first but quickly tries to cover up her excitement. 

“Yeah, I’ll give him your number if you want, his name’s Charlie,” she explains. “We... I mean I think you guys would get along,” she tells her.

“Okay, cool,” Chrissy stays, still trying to cover up her excitement. 

“I hope it works out for you,” Nicole tells her. Chrissy gives her a sympathetic smile. Nicole sighs. Just because her life is falling apart around her doesn’t mean other people don’t deserve to find happiness, right?

They spend a little bit more time talking in Nicole’s room. Chrissy joins her on the bed as they talk. Nicole doesn’t say much about Waverly or how she’s feeling in general, she mostly lets Chrissy talk, it’s a good distraction. She appreciates the effort she makes to try to make her feel better and the time she spends with her so she’s not alone. 

  
  


———————

  
  


By the time Monday rolls around, Nicole’s body is stiff from the amount of laying in bed she did throughout the weekend. She hadn’t heard from Waverly since she left her house on Saturday, nor has she even tried to contact her. 

Nothing in her wants to even make an effort to get up to go to school that morning, but she remembers that they’re supposed to be presenting their project in history later that day. It’s one of the last things she wants to do, but she knows if she doesn’t, she risks not graduating and she doesn’t want to have to repeat the grade even more. 

It takes nearly all of her energy to get up and get dressed that morning. She tries to avoid looking at herself in the mirror, but when she accidentally catches a glance, she cringes at the sight. Her hair is a disheveled mess and her eyes are red from a combination of tears and a lack of sleep. She rubs her face with her hands, hoping the dark, sunken in circles under her eyes are just shadows, but deep down she knows that’s not true. 

She takes a shower, hoping it will somehow rejuvenate her, making her appearance a little less terrifying. It doesn’t really work, but she has to admit that the hot water does make her feel a little better. She can’t help but think about being in the shower with Waverly in the hotel room though, wishing that could happen again, knowing it probably won’t. 

When she finally peels herself out of the shower, she finds clothes that seem clean enough and pulls them over her body. Making her way downstairs, she skips breakfast and tells Chrissy she will meet her in the car. 

When Chrissy finally makes her way outside, Nicole is leaning up against the side of the locked car. She hears the car unlock and gives Chrissy a nod, silently thanking her. Chrissy climbs in, hanging her a brown paper bag. Nicole gives her a questioning look. 

“Eat,” the blonde says as she starts the car. 

Nicole sighs and looks in the bag to find a couple of snacks. She smiles softly at Chrissy before leaning her head back against the car seat.

In her first period math class, Nicole sits in the back corner of the room, frutherest away from the door. She internally kicks herself when she realizes she should have sat in the front so she didn’t have to stare at the side of her ex girlfriend’s head for the entire class period. 

She doesn’t listen to much of what the teacher says. She hears the word test a few times, assuming that would be important to pay attention to. Maybe she can get notes from Jeremy later on. She spends most of the class sketching in the margins of her notebook rather than actually taking notes. She can’t focus her brain on much yet. After each sketch, she finishes it with a bunch of dark scribbles over the top of them. It releases some of her built up aggression, but not enough.

By the time history class rolls around, she’s exhausted and totally over the day. She tries to pull it together for her presentation. She just keeps telling herself that when it’s over, she doesn’t have to deal with it ever again. 

“Ready?” Waverly says when she enters the classroom, taking a seat next to Nicole. Nicole nods, but doesn’t say anything. She really has nothing to say. Her insides scream. She wants to ask how she is. She wants to ask about the rest of her weekend, about how things are with her father. She wants to ask if she misses her. She doesn’t. 

The presentation starts off fairly well. Waverly puts on a good front, pretending like nothing is wrong. Nicole has a harder time covering up her emotions, but tries to follow the presentation as they practiced. Her frustration grows the more Waverly speaks. How can she continue on like nothing is wrong? Does she even feel bad about what happened? Maybe she didn’t mean as much to her as she thought. 

“And then there were the main allies,” she hears Waverly say. 

“And the ones that weren’t good enough to be apart of that group,” Nicole adds. 

Waverly gives Nicole a warning look that she gives her no response to. She glances down at her flashcards in her hand. They’re written out so nicely in Waverly’s handwriting. She remembers back to when they decided it would be better for Waverly to write them so they were more legible. Her handwriting wasn’t as nice.

“And the countries who thought they were protected, but they turned their backs real quick when times got hard,” Nicole continues. Okay, so she may have ad libbed a bit.

“Nicole-” Waverly warns under her breath. She feels like she might have finally ruffled the brunette’s feathers a bit. Maybe she does have feelings after all. 

“Is everything okay ladies? Do you need to take a break?” the teacher asks. He probably feels the tension building between the pair. 

“Everything’s fine,” Waverly says, quickly, giving Nicole another warning look. 

Nicole takes a deep breath in, letting it out slowly. “It’s great,” she says with a smile toward the teacher. She looks at Waverly out of the corner of her eye, noticing her rubbing her face with her hand out of frustration. 

“Just stick to the script and stop adding your own commentary,” Waverly tells her in a hushed tone.

“Fine,” Nicole huffs and continues reading from the cards. Her tone is flat like she really doesn’t care. 

Truthfully, she doesn’t care much. As long as she passes the project, she’s fine. But deep down, she really doesn’t want to screw it up for Waverly. No matter how pissed off she is, she still cares. She wishes she didn’t care. 

The bell rings not long after their presentation and Nicole doesn’t waste any time before she ducks out of the classroom. She wants to get as far away from Waverly as possible. 

“What the hell was that?!” Waverly calls after her. She cringes, not wanting to turn around. She takes a few more steps, hoping the girl will just let it go. “Nicole!” She yells. 

“What was what?” Nicole asks, finally turning around. The hall was still fairly full of people, she realizes that most of them are staring at the pair. 

“Don’t play dumb with me, Nicole,” Waverly spits. Nicole turns and gestures for the brunette to follow her down an empty hallway, away from the crowd. 

“It’s over, I’m sure we got an A, who cares now?” Nicole says, stopping and turning to face Waverly again. 

“You didn’t have to make me look like a fool up there in front of the class,” Waverly says. She’s still clearly pissed and speaking fairly loudly

“Oh, right, It’s all about what everyone else thinks. I forgot,” Nicole argues. 

“Really Nicole?” Waverly huffs. Okay, maybe she’s being a little immature, but she can’t help it. She’s pissed. “What’s your problem?” The brunette asks. 

“Are you fucking serious, Waverly?” Nicole asks. Now she’s really pissed. “What's my problem? You really want to go there right now?” 

“What’s going on between us has nothing to do with our school project, Nicole,” Waverly tells her. 

“Well, I’m sorry I can’t pretend,” Nicole huffs. 

“I’m not pretending,” Waverly informs her. 

“Then you’re really totally fine with this? Real nice,” Nicole says. “You told me that you loved me. We even slept together. Then you dumped me and now you can walk around here like everything’s totally fine?”

“I do lov-” Waverly starts. 

“Don’t,” Nicole cuts her off. “You don’t get to tell me that anymore. You dumped me remember? You made the choice. I didn’t get a choice in that matter, but I do choose to not have to stand here and let you tell me that you love me when you don’t!”

“Nicole,” Waverly’s tone is softer now and more apologetic. 

Nicole turns and walks away. She heads toward the cafeteria but when she sees her friends all sitting at the table, laughing decides against going in. She turns down another hall toward the science wing, lurking outside of Rosita’s classroom until she finally notices she’s there. She gestures for Rosita to come out of the room. She looks around for a moment then raises her hand. She stands up and leaves the room a moment later.

“What’s up?” Rosita asks as she closes the door behind her.

“You have any cigarettes?” Nicole asks. She’s desperate. 

“Rough day?” Rosita asks with a laugh. 

“You have no idea,” Nicole says with a sigh. 

“You want company?”

Nicole nods. As much as she wants to just be alone, she could really use a friend. She waits up against the wall outside of the classroom. Rosita goes back into the class and comes back out soon after with her books in her hand. 

“How’d you get out of class?” Nicole asks as she starts walking down the hallway with Rosita. 

“I told him I started my period,” Rosita says with a shrug. Nicole laughs. “So why the sudden need for a midday cigarette?” She asks. 

Nicole glances around them before she pushes open the backdoor of the school. The pair exits quickly, trying to avoid slamming the door behind them. They duck behind the side of the building where there aren’t any doors. Rosita hands Nicole a cigarette and she places it between her lips. She lights the end and takes a long drag, closing her eyes as she inhales. 

“Waverly and I broke up,” she says finally. She swears Rosita’s eyes pop out of her head. 

“You’re kidding!” She practically screams. Nicole looks around them, hoping no one is around to hear. She’s had enough people staring at her for the day. 

“Why would I joke about that?” Nicole asks. 

“What the fuck did you do?!” Rosita asks. Nicole is slightly offended at the accusation that she had to have done something wrong for them not to be together anymore. 

“Nothing,” she says with a shrug. “I’m just me.” 

“You and I both know there’s more to it than that, Haught,” Rosita says. 

“I wish there was,” Nicole says. 

“Well what happened?” Rosita asks. 

Nicole takes another long drag of the cigarette before she gives her the rundown of what happened. She tells her about their impromptu trip to the city, the night in the hotel room, leaving out most of the details of what happened in the hotel room. She tells her about coming home to Waverly’s dad, how pissed he was and how Waverly came to the conclusion that things would be better if they weren’t together. 

“And you know what sucks the most?” Nicole asks. “Fuckin’ Champ was right,” she groans. Rosita gives her a confused look. 

“What?” She asks. 

“On the way home from the camping trip,” Nicole explains. “He told me she was going to figure out that I’m not good enough for her. That eventually she’d see right through me.” 

“Nicole,” Rosita says, sympathetically. She places her hand gently on Nicole’s arm, attempting to comfort her. 

“It’s fine,” Nicole says. 

It isn’t fine. Nothing about any of this is fine. Nicole takes another drag of the cigarette in her hand before dropping it to the ground and stepping on it with her foot to put it out. 

She leans up against the side of the building. Squatting down, she brings her knees close to her chest and drops her head down toward her lap, covering her face with her hands. They sit in silence for a few moments. She knows they should probably go back inside, but she’s just not ready to face anyone or anything yet. 

Not yet. 


	19. Chapter 19

The next two week of school drag by. Nicole spends most of her time trying to avoid Waverly until she hears the final bell of the day and is able to make a beeline out of the school. After school, she spends most of her time locked in her room with a sketch pad or her guitar, trying to make the best out of the situation that she can. Other times she pities herself for being such a downer and acting like there isn’t any more to life other than Waverly. 

She’s thankful for Jeremy and Robin checking in on her often and for Rosita spending time with her even when she tells her she wants to be alone. She’s spoken a little to Wynonna but doesn’t really want to put her in the middle of something that has nothing to do with her. She has enough on her plate right now. 

It’s halfway through December and all Nicole hears about in the hallways of school is the Snow Ball dance that’s coming up. Honestly, she’s pretty sick of hearing about it. She has no intentions of actually going anymore now that she’s single again. Waverly was the only reason she even considered making an appearance in the first place. 

Going to school gets a little easier as the days go on. She sees Waverly in her classes, but doesn’t talk to her. At lunch, Waverly has been back to sitting with the football players and some of the cheerleaders like she did in the beginning of the year. Nicole appreciates that she gives her space, even though she skips most lunches to go anywhere but where Waverly is. 

Jeremy and Robin have been supportive, but they’ve recently been more open about their relationship with each other in school. Nicole is happy for them, but it’s hard for her to see happy couples. She figures this is why the idea of the Snow Ball makes her sick to her stomach. 

She witnessed a few guys asking various girls out to the dance in the halls. They usually include some sort of grand gesture that impressed the girl, but makes Nicole roll her eyes. It’s all fake to her. Grand gestures don’t matter and love isn’t enough. 

Whenever they’re home at the same time, Chrissy has been good about checking in on her, which she really appreciates. She tries not to put the blonde in the middle of her and Waverly, so she avoids talking about it too much with her. She lets her mostly talk about her conversations with Charlie and how he is coming to town for the dance. Nicole thinks it’ll be nice to see her friend again, but she’s sure he’ll be preoccupied with Chrissy. 

Even though she still talks to Wynonna from time to time, she hasn’t seen her in a while and she honestly starts to miss her. Part of her wishes she could go back to the times when she hung out with her and Rosita and things were a lot less complicated. Rosita has checked in on her everyday since the day outside the school when she told her in the first place. As tough as she likes to act, Nicole has found her to be pretty soft lately. 

**   
  
**

“So you’re really not going to the dance anymore?” Rosita asks as they make their way into the school in the morning. The dance is at the end of the week and Nicole still has no interest in it. 

“Why are you so adamant about me going to this stupid dance?” Nicole asks. “You don’t even like school dances.” 

“You’re right,” Rosita says with a laugh. “But if I’m gonna go, you are,” she tells her. 

“I’ll do you one better,” Nicole says. “Neither of us go and we find somewhere to get drunk instead,” she suggests. 

Rosita laughs. “I mean, that’s not a bad plan,” she says. “But didn’t you tell you friend from the city you’re going?” 

“He’d understand,” Nicole tells her. As they turn down the hallway toward her locker, she continues to try to convince Rosita that the dance isn’t worth it and she really doesn’t want to go. 

There’s a slight commotion down another hallway, drawing her attention in that direction. She sees Perry walking down the hall with a bunch of balloons in his hands. She gives him a confused look, wondering what he could be up to. She’s seen enough of these grand gestures throughout the past couple of weeks that nothing should surprise her at this point. 

It isn’t until she notices who’s locker he’s headed toward that she really starts to focus in on what’s happening. She feels her face suddenly getting warm, but she can’t look away. 

Is this really happening? 

Waverly turns away from her locker in the direction of the dark haired boy. Her eyes widen like she’s shocked by the entire thing too. Nicole sees some people in the hall cheering out, encouraging Perry, rooting for them. She suddenly feels sick to her stomach. Is Perry really about to ask Waverly to the dance? They haven’t even been broken up that long and he’s moving in that quickly? What a dick. 

Would Waverly really go with him? Nicole doesn’t stick around long enough to find out. She turns quickly on her heels to head in any direction that she can’t watch this show unfold in front of her eyes. When she’s far enough away, she turns to see Rosita following closely behind. 

“Do you think I can fake being sick or something?” Nicole asks. “I gotta get out of here.”

“Hey,” Rosita says. She places her hand on Nicole’s shoulder. “Breathe, dude.” Nicole takes a deep breath in and holds it for a moment before she lets it out slowly. 

“She’s going to go to the dance with fuckin Perry,” Nicole says, calmer this time, but still just as angry. 

“Screw them!” Rosita says. “Look, it’s almost Christmas break, no school for two weeks! Are you going to let them ruin that vibe?” 

“No and if I don’t go to the dance, I can pretend they don’t exist!” Nicole pretends to be cheerful. 

Rosita laughs. “Oh, you’re going” she tells her. “In fact, you’re my date,” she says with a wink. 

Nicole’s eyes widen. “I’m what now?” She asks. 

“Do I have to get down on one knee, Haught, or can we do this the old fashioned way?” Rosita asks with a laugh. 

“You want to be my date?” Nicole asks. 

“Waverly has a date,” Rosita says. Nicole cringes at the reminder. “So why shouldn’t you?” 

“And you’re my best option?” Nicole asks. 

“I’ll pretend I’m not offended by that!” Rosita says, slapping her arm. “You want to make her jealous or what?”

“Isn’t that a little petty?” Nicole asks. She’s never really been one to shove things in people’s faces to make them jealous, but right now she was mad enough to probably go through with it. 

“Maybe,” Rosita shrugs. “But let’s be real, we’re going together anyway, might as well make it fun!” She nudges her in the ribs with her elbow. 

Nicole thinks for a moment. She feels like this is going to be a terrible idea and she probably should stick with her guns and not go at all. But at this point, her options are to go with Rosita and possibly have a good time, or stay home and sulk like she’s been doing for the past two weeks or so. At least she would be around friends. 

“Fine,” she finally says. “But l don’t dance.” 

——————

It’s the middle of the week, the dance is in two days and she still doesn’t want to go. Rosita insists that it’ll be a good time. She’s still not sure why her friend is so into the idea of a school dance all of a sudden, but she doesn’t ask too many questions. She’s excited that her friend Charlie is coming into town for it, but she’s sure she won’t spend much time with him since he and Chrissy will most likely be with Waverly and Perry. 

After school that day she meets up with her probation officer in what she now refers to as their designated rendezvous spot, the diner outside of town. 

“So I heard you came to the city and didn’t even call me,” the man says with a smirk on his face. Nicole narrows her eyes at him, trying to read him, but she’s too mentally drained to have some sort of witty retort in return. 

“Am I in trouble for that?” She cringes a little. “Trust me, I’ve been paying the price ever since,” she says with a sigh. 

He gives her a sympathetic look. She hasn’t told him too much about her personal life, but she’s learned over the years that he reads her pretty well and doesn’t pry in places she doesn’t allow him to. 

“I’ll let that one go,” he says. “You’ve been doing really well out here.” The man gives her a genuine smile. 

“Doesn’t feel like it,” she groans. She knows she’s being dramatic. She knows he’s right. But that doesn’t stop her from continuing to wallow. 

“Do you want to talk about it?” He finally asks. 

“I don’t do sentimental with you, remember?” She retorts, smirking. 

“Yeah, yeah,” Dolls says, waving his hand in the air like he’s brushing off the comment. “I wanted to talk about your plans after high school,” he continues. 

“Is that your job now?” Nicole asks, taking a bite of a couple of fries. 

“Not necessarily, but we’re friends now right?” He asks with a smile as he tries to steal a fry from her plate. 

Nicole quickly swats his hand away. “Dolls, if this is what you consider a friendship, you’re going to have to re-evaluate yourself, man,” she says. 

“Have you considered college?” He asks, ignoring her last comment. 

“I’ve thought about it,” Nicole says with a shrug. “Not for long, but it’s been a thought.” 

She thinks about the times she talked about college with Waverly. How driven the brunette is, how determined she is, how aware of her future she is. Nicole never really had an answer whenever college came up. She doesn’t know if she wants to go to college. She doesn’t think she would hate it, she just doesn’t know what she would want to study. 

Waverly was always so encouraging every time they talked about it though. “You don’t have to have it all figured out yet,” she would tell her. “Your future, your choice,” she would say. Honestly, it wasn’t until Waverly that she really wanted to start getting serious about her future.

“It could be good for you,” the man tells her, breaking her from her thoughts. “Do you know what you want to do with the rest of your life?”

“That’s a loaded question,” Nicole huffs. 

“Well, you’re almost 18,” Dolls reminds her. 

“Is that something I’m really supposed to answer at 18? Let’s be real here,” Nicole argues. 

“I’m just looking out for you,” he tells her. 

“I know,” she says, softly. She really does appreciate him, but college has been the furthest thing from her mind lately. Maybe he’s right though, maybe Waverly isn’t going to be part of her future, but that doesn’t mean she shouldn’t have one. 

When she goes back home that evening, she takes a seat at her desk and starts doing a little research on her computer. She doesn’t know the first thing about college or where to start. She knows who would know. Waverly. Waverly made everything so much easier. 

She shakes her head at the thought of contacting the brunette for help. After a few minutes of doing a little more searching, she closes her laptop. Standing from her desk, she tucks the computer under her arm, and heads out of her room. 

On the way down the hallway, she hears a familiar voice coming from Chrissy’s room. Her heart stops for a moment as she continues by the closed door, hoping to not have some sort of awkward encounter with her ex girlfriend. She definitely wasn’t in the mood for it. 

Part of her wishes she didn’t even have to hear the brunette through Chrissy’s door, but she can’t ask her not to come over. Waverly and Chrissy have been best friends since they were little, so she’s not about to try to control that. At least when she does come over, they mostly stay in Chrissy’s room so she doesn’t see much of her anyway. 

She keeps walking quickly, making her way fully down the stairs without hearing the bedroom door open. She turns the corner, peeking her head into Randy’s office, hoping that he’s there. She knocks on the frame of the open door when she sees he is. 

“Hey, uh, are you busy?” She asks. Randy looks up from his desk and shakes his head. 

“No, come on in!” Randy says with a smile, gesturing for the redhead to enter the room. “What’s up?” He asks. 

She enters the room and sets her computer down on the edge of his desk. “I’ve been thinking about college and was wondering if you can help,” she says. 

She’s a little embarrassed by not knowing where to start, but he doesn’t make her feel uncomfortable about it at all. He actually seems pretty excited about being able to help her. 

After a half an hour with Randy and her computer, Nicole has figured out a lot more about applying for college and where she might possibly be interested in. She’s still not sure what she wants to do with the rest of her life, but she figures this is a start. 

“Dad! We’re going to the mall!” Chrissy’s voice comes echoing across the house. Nicole cringes a little, hoping that they just leave without coming to see her dad first. 

“Sounds good!” He calls back.

Nicole lets out a sigh at the sound of the front door closing. She thinks the sigh was probably a little too loud because Randy turns his attention toward her. 

“You okay?” He asks. 

Nicole nods. “Yeah,” she says, dismissing the idea of having to talk about Waverly right now. “Thanks for helping me,” she says with a smile. 

“Hey, anytime!” He smiles. Nicole smiles back at him and collects her computer, heading back up to her room where she’s basically been living for weeks. 

**   
  
**

——————

****   
  


Nicole manages to get through the rest of the week with no issues. Waverly stopped her in the hallway before lunch on Friday, asking if they can talk, but she told her she had somewhere to be. It was a lie, but she’s not sure if she really wants to hear what she has to say yet. 

Chrissy warns her that Waverly will be at the house later, getting ready for the dance with her. Nicole thanks her for not blind siding her, but she knows Waverly has spent time at the house throughout the past couple of weeks. Nicole has just become really good at avoiding her and really thankful for the size of the house.

After school, she gets a text from Charlie that he’s on his way into town. Chrissy is nervous to meet him in person, but he’s all she talks about lately. Randy is a little uneasy about the idea of his daughter going on a blind date, but Nicole assures him he’s a good guy. 

When Charlie arrives, Nicole meets him at the front door. Chrissy and Waverly aren’t at the house yet so she lets him in and they hang out for a bit. 

“Well, damn,” Charlie says as he enters the house, looking around him. “You sure had an upgrade,” he laughs. 

Nicole laughs. “Yeah, strangely enough, you get used to it,” she says with a shrug. “Do you want the tour?” She asks. 

“Are we going to get lost?” He asks with a laugh. 

“You should have seen me when I first moved in,” Nicole tells him. 

She leads him around the house, giving him the tour. No one else is home at the moment, so the house is quiet. “So is this guy scary?” He asks, referring to Randy. 

“No,” Nicole laughs. “Are you nervous?” She asks. 

“Nah,” he shrugs off the comment. “I’m just not used to the idea of dads giving me the third degree,” he says. “Thanks for setting me up, by the way, Chrissy seems pretty cool.” 

“She has her good days,” Nicole teases. 

“So you are Waverly are really done?” Charlie asks. They’ve now made their way up the stairs and into Nicole’s room. 

“Yeah,” she says. It still stings to think about it. She wishes she could just move past it, but there’s just something about Waverly that she can’t shake.

“Is she coming tonight?” Charlie asks. 

“She’s Chrissy’s best friend,” Nicole says. “I can’t really tell her she can’t come over.” 

“Sorry, dude,” Charlie says, resting his hand on her shoulder for a moment. 

Nicole shrugs, pretending like it’s not a big deal. “So how’s the city been?” She asks. “How’s everyone?” 

“Mattie and Gretta tried to come with me today,” he says with a laugh. “They miss you.” 

“I miss them,” she says. She feels bad that she’s done a shitty job trying to keep in touch with people after she left. Maybe she was just a little too preoccupied with her new life. She feels worse at the thought. 

“Maybe after the holidays you can come back to visit again,” he suggests. Nicole nods. She’s definitely interested in spending more time with them again. 

The sound of the doorbell ringing echoes through the house and Nicole glances down at her phone to see Rosita had texted her. “My date,” she says with a small laugh. 

Charlie gives her a confused look before she explains Rosita’s plan to try and make Waverly jealous. Charlie laughs and goes along with it. 

“Well, hello,” Rosita says, suggestively as she enters Nicole’s room to see Charlie sitting on the end of her bed.

Nicole shakes her head at her friend. “Charlie, this is my friend Rosita,” she says. “Sorry about her,” she laughs. Charlie laughs as he holds out his hand for Rosita to shake it. Nicole notices how the girls let’s his hand linger in her before pulling it back. Nicole shakes her head again. “Tell me you brought booze,” she asks Rosita. 

Rosita reaches into her purse and pulls out two flasks, waving them in the air a little. “You think I’d leave you hanging?” she asks.

Nicole sighs and grabs one of the flasks out of her hand. “You’re the best,” she says.

They spent the next few moments in her room, chatting idly. Charlie mostly asks questions about Purgatory and Rosita counters those questions with ones about the city. Nicole feels that Rosita is mostly just flirting with Charlie, which Chrissy would not be super happy about so she sits in between them, making sure Rosita isn’t crossing any lines here.

It’s not long before Chrissy and Waverly show up to the house and make their way upstairs. Nicole still isn’t too keen on the idea of spending the night with her ex girlfriend, but they were all friends before they were a couple, so she decides that she needs to suck it up and go on with the night. And when she needs it, she will have a flask in her back pocket.

The meeting between Charlie and Chrissy is less awkward than Nicole expected it to be. It was kind of like they’ve known each other for years. It was nice, kind of like when Waverly met her friends for the first time. It was natural, making her feel comfortable with her two worlds colliding. 

When Randy comes home, he requests to see Charlie in the study for a while. Nicole laughs at the boy suddenly losing his confidence and making his way down to see him.

“You think he’s going to be okay?” Chrissy asks. She seems suddenly nervous that her dad is going to kick Charlie out and not allow them to go to the dance together. 

“He’s tough,” Nicole assures her. 

“Charlie or your dad?” Rosita asks with a laugh.

“Well, I meant Charlie,” Nicole says.

“But dad’s pretty tough too when he wants to be,” Chrissy adds in. Nicole agrees, but knows that he’s been pretty soft on her so far. 

They all agree that it’s time to get changed and ready to go to the dance. She’s surprised Waverly and Chrissy didn’t want to start earlier, normally it takes them a while to get ready. She was never really sure what they did for so long to get ready, and she always thought that Waverly didn’t need to spend so much time, she was already ridiculously beautiful. 

When everyone leaves her room, except Rosita, Nicole turns to her closet to find her outfit for the dance. “Are you wearing a dress tonight?” Rosita teases. Nicole turns and gives her a dirty look before turning back to her closet. 

She finds the shirt that she bought at the mall before the homecoming dance. The shirt that Waverly helped her pick out. The one she wore the night she blew her off at the dance. She runs her fingers down the sleeve of it at first, remembering the look on the brunette’s face when she first put it on for her. She takes the shirt out of the closet, collecting the pants from her drawer and sets them down on her bed. She reaches for the flask that Rosita provided her with and opens it quickly, taking a swig, making a mental note to brush her teeth before they go downstairs to avoid Randy smelling alcohol on her breath. 

Once she’s dressed, she slides her flask back into Rosita’s purse to hide it long enough for them to make it out of the house. She opens the door and they make their way into the hallway to get ready to leave for the school. As she enters the hallway, she sees Chrissy’s door open and Waverly steps out. The brunette turns toward Nicole’s room just for a moment, enough time for Nicole to catch a glimpse of her body in her dress. Just enough time for her to look her up and down, feel a warmth in her stomach, confusion in her mind. 

Waverly looks hot.

She sees the brunette give her a quick look up and down as well and swallows hard. This is going to be a long night. She stops Rosita for a moment, pulling her flask out of her purse again, quickly. Rosita doesn’t stop her. She’s sure she understands. She takes one last swig before stopping at the bathroom to brush her teeth. 

By the time they make it downstairs, Charlie is waiting for them at the bottom. He’s smiling so Randy couldn’t have gone too hard on him. Nicole playfully nudges him in the ribs when she walks by him. 

They all turn to head for the door when they’re stopped by Randy calling out. “Wait!” He says. “We need pictures first!” 

“Dad!” Chrissy whines. The group laughs and finally agrees to go along with it. 

They stand as a group at first, in front of the stairs. Nicole stands on one end with Rosita next to her. Waverly stands on the other side of Rosita, with her hand around her waist. Nicole stretches her arm out behind Rosita. She feels Waverly’s fingers brush her arm lightly, sending a shiver down her spine. Part of her wants to hold her arm there. She breathes in and can smell Waverly’s perfume through the crowd of her friends. She quickly shifts her arm down so it isn’t touching the brunette’s anymore. 

“Okay, can I get one with just you two?” Randy asks, pointing at Chrissy and Nicole. The pair look at each other and then back at Randy and roll their eyes simultaneously. “Come on! Do it for me,” he tries to convince them.

“Fine!” Chrissy groans as she leaves Charlie’s side to stand next to Nicole. Nicole isn’t used to someone wanting to take so many pictures of her, so she’s a little overwhelmed.

“Don’t let Chrissy fool you,” Waverly chimes in. “She’s always wanted a sister,” she adds with a laugh. 

Chrissy gives Waverly a dirty look causing her to laugh, then turns back toward her father to take the picture. After a few more photos, the group says bye to Randy and makes their way out the door. Chrissy offers to drive everyone, but Rosita and Nicole decide to drive on their own. Nicole feels more comfortable this way. 

At the dance, they sit at the same table with their group of friends. Nicole gets some time to talk to Charlie, but Chrissy is constantly pulling him onto the dance floor. They seem to be getting along well. She tries not to focus too much on Waverly, who seems preoccupied talking to some of the football team whenever Chrissy is on the dance floor. Sometimes she joins her and Nicole distracts herself with conversation with Robin, Jeremy and Rosita. From time to time, she takes a quick swig from the flask that she now has in her back pocket. 

As the night goes on, the warm liquid helps her loosen up a bit. Rosita pulls her onto the dance floor a few times. She protests at first, then gives in. She’s sure she looks like a fool dancing, she’s never been any good at it. She thinks about the time Waverly tried to teach her to dance at the Halloween party and suddenly needs another drink. 

She excuses herself from the dance floor and heads toward the bathrooms for a breather. She stands in front of the sink, splashing water on her face to cool herself off. She looks up at herself in the mirror, the bags under her eyes are a clear indication of the lack of sleep she’s been getting lately. Taking the flask out of her back pocket, she takes another swig before capping it and putting it back where she got it from. 

She splashes her face again with water. Her eyes are closed when she hears the bathroom door swing open. She dries her face quickly with a paper towel before turning her attention toward the door. 

“Waverly,” she says, softly. She feels the warmth of the alcohol coursing through her veins, making it difficulty to stop her eyes from wandering down the brunette’s body. She licks her lips and quickly lifts her eyes back to Waverly’s face, catching a small grin on her face.

“You okay?” Waverly asks as she makes her way further into the bathroom. Nicole nods and glances at herself in the mirror once more.

“Yeah,” she says. “I just needed a breather. I should go though,” she tells her as she gestures toward the door. She tries to move past the brunette, but she’s standing in the way and their bodies brush lightly as she shifts by her. 

She feels something slide from her back pocket and she turns quickly to see Waverly opening her flask with a smile on her face. “Sure, help yourself,” Nicole says with a laugh.

“Thanks,” Waverly says with a smile. She takes a sip of the liquid, cringing slightly at the taste, before putting the cap back on and sliding it back into Nicole’s back pocket. Her hand lingers for a moment and Nicole has trouble remembering what she was about to do. “We should talk,” Waverly says. 

“Rosita is looking for me,” Nicole says quickly. She gestures for a the door again. 

“Uh, yeah,” Waverly says. 

“Later?” Nicole asks. Not entirely sure if she actually means it. 

“Of course,” Waverly nods. “It’s important,” she adds before Nicole heads for the door. 

She hears the words but doesn’t stop to hear her out. Not yet. She pulls open the bathroom door and takes a deep breath as if the air supply in the other room had been depleted. 

Quickly, she makes her way back to the gym to find her friends. “Whoa, Haught, are you okay?” Rosita asks as the redhead plops herself back into a chair at the table. 

“Yeah,” Nicole breathes. “I just… it’s just… I think Waverly is flirting with me in the bathroom,” she says. 

Rosita’s eyes widen. “Wait, really? Do you think she wants to get back together?” She asks. 

“I don’t know, I didn’t stick around long enough to find out,” Nicole says. She turns her attention back toward the door that she just entered through to see Waverly making her way back into the gym. “I thought she had a date here anyway,” she says with a shrug, turning back toward her friend. 

“Well, she’s barely been near him,” Rosita laughs. “Maybe you should talk to her.”

“Maybe she shouldn’t have dumped me,” Nicole argues back. 

“Okay, okay,” Rosita says, putting her hands out in front of her. “Fair point. I’m just saying, do you think there’s a chance you’d want to get back with her?” 

Nicole pauses for a moment before she answers. Deep down, she knows she still sees a future with Waverly. Deep down, the thought of the girl still makes her heart skip a beat. Deep down, one look at that girl drives her absolutely crazy. 

“I don’t know,” she answers. Deep down, Waverly is all of those things for Nicole. But on the surface, she’s still mad, she feels betrayed and the trust isn’t there. “It would take a bit, I think.” 

“I think when you’re ready, you should at least talk to her,” Rosita says. “I think you still feel something for her, maybe she’s not as bad as you think she is right now.” 

Nicole nods. She agrees with her friend’s advice, even if she is too stubborn to tell people that they’re right. Maybe eventually she’ll put the rage aside to finally hear her out. 

As the night goes on, Nicole’s flask becomes more empty and she becomes more buzzed. She’s pulled onto the dance floor a few more times but when the song switches to a slow song, she quickly returns to her seat. 

She watches as people couple up on the dance floor. Chrissy and Charlie dance close like they’ve been together for a while, Nicole smiles at that. She shifts her gaze a little to the left to see Perry and Waverly dancing next to them. Her eyes narrow in on Perry’s hand placement on Waverly’s hip. The sight of it makes her skin crawl. 

Her face is suddenly warm with rage and she stares until she can’t take it anymore. Standing from her seat, she exits the gym. It’s not long before there’s a sound of footsteps echoing down the hallway behind her. 

“Rosita, I’m not really in the mood,” Nicole huffs. She continues down the hallway, running her fingers against the wall of lockers as she walks. She hears someone continuing to follow her and turns to see it’s not Rosita. “Oh,” she says at the sight of Waverly standing behind her. 

“You looked upset,” Waverly says as she follows her down the hall. 

“What gave that away?” Nicole asks as she leans up against the closest locker. She feels the cold metal up against her skin on her arms where her sleeves are rolled just below her elbows. 

“Look, Nicole, I know you’re mad and you have every right to be,” Waverly says. She moves a little closer, still keeping some space between them.

“Mad about what?” Nicole challenges. “The fact that you dumped me? The fact that you gave up on me? Or the fact that not even three weeks after we break up you’re on a date with Perry fuckin Crofte?!”

“I’m not on date with Perry,” Waverly responds quickly, her tone conveys some confusion. 

“Sure seems that way,” Nicole says as she gestures back toward the gym. 

Waverly looks behind her, then back toward Nicole. “He just asked me to dance, that was it. We’re not here together,” she assures her. “I came with with Chrissy and Charlie, you saw that.” 

“I saw Perry’s big production in the hall the other day,” Nicole tells her, not believing her fully. 

“And did you see me tell him no?” Waverly asks. She seems annoyed. Nicole drops her head down toward the floor, staring at her feet. “Besides,” Waverly continues. “Aren't you Rosita’s date?” She asks. 

“Only to make you jealous,” Nicole sighs. “Because I thought you had a date and I was mad,” she reluctantly admits to her petty behavior. 

Waverly takes another step closer to the redhead. Nicole sees her feet standing close to hers at looks up to see hazel eyes staring back at her. 

“I told Perry no because there’s only one person I wanted to go to the dance with,” Waverly explains. “And that’s you.” She brushes loose hair from Nicole’s face. Nicole closes her eyes leaning into her touch a little more. 

Something in her wants to give in. She wants to pull the brunette into her arms and kiss her. She misses her, but she can’t pretend she’s not hurt. 

“How can you still say that when you’re the one who broke up with me?” Nicole asks. 

“Because I made a mistake, Nicole,” Waverly tells her. “I thought I was protecting you. I thought you were better off without me and the drama that comes along with dating me.” 

“Well you can’t just take it back,” Nicole reminds her. She can’t help but lock eyes with the brunette.

“I know that,” Waverly says softly. She lines her body up in front of the redhead. 

“And you can’t just pretend it didn’t happen,” Nicole says. She licks her lips as her eyes travel from Waverly’s eyes to her mouth. 

“And I know that,” Waverly assures her. 

“And you can’t just-” Nicole trails off, eyes focusing back on Waverly’s. 

“Can’t just what?” Waverly asks, almost in a whisper.

“Stand there looking like that and expect me to not want to kiss you,” she says in a moment of weakness. Waverly’s eyes widen like it was the last thing she expected her to say. They stand in silence for a moment. The space between them lessens, as they lean in simultaneously toward each other.

Before Nicole realizes it, her lips are pressed against Waverly’s, gently at first. The kiss deepens as they hands find each other’s bodies. She feels a spark of electricity jolt through her body, not wanting it to stop. It was like their bodies were reconnecting after being away for so long, familiar, yet new at the same time. 

After a few moments, a moment of clarity washes over Nicole and she pushes back softly. “Wait,” she breathes out. Waverly looks slightly upset, but provides her with space. “I gotta go,” Nicole says as she slides her body out from between Waverly and the lockers. 

“Wait,” Waverly calls after her, but she doesn’t listen. She heads straight for the doors of the school, making her way out into the chill of the night. 


	20. Chapter 20

“Rosita, I’m fine,” Nicole huffs into the phone as she sits down hard on her bed. “I just wasn’t feeling well,” she lies. “I didn’t want to ruin anyone’s night so I had my, I mean, Randy pick me up,” she explains. 

“Do you need company?” Rosita’s voice comes through the phone speaker. 

“No,” Nicole says, quickly. “I’m fine, I just want to be alone,” she tells her. 

“We can talk about it if you want,” Rosita assures her. 

“There’s nothing to talk about,” Nicole tells her. “Look, I’m just going to lay down, I’ll talk to you tomorrow or something.” 

“Fine,” Rosita stops trying to argue with her. “You know where to find me.” 

“Thanks,” Nicole says. They say their goodbyes before they hang up and Nicole tosses her phone on the bed. 

She drops her head into her hands, rubbing her face slowly. After a few moments, she stands from her bed and heads over to her dresser to get clothes to change into. She slowly peels off her clothes from the dance, happy she was finally able to wear them for their original intended purpose, but a little disappointed with how the night turned out. 

Why couldn’t she just stay and hear what Waverly has to say? Why did she have to run away every time she and Waverly got close again? Oh, right, she broke her heart. 

She takes in a deep breath, letting it out slowly before pulling a pair of sweatpants over her legs. Suddenly her bedroom door flies open and Waverly appears, slamming the door shut and leaning up against it like some sort of hostage situation. 

Nicole jumps at the sight of someone suddenly entering her room in the middle of her getting dressed. “Jesus, Waverly!” She calls out. 

“Sorry, I just need to talk to you and you keep walking away from me,” Waverly says. She’s a little out of breath like she just ran up the stairs and down the hall. 

“And you don’t get the hint,” Nicole says, turning toward the brunette. 

“Can you please put a shirt on first, it’s distracting,” Waverly says, staring at the redhead’s bare skin on her abs. Nicole glances down at her body, forgetting she wasn’t fully dressed. 

“Well, that’s what I was trying to do,” Nicole says, waving her shirt in the air. She slides the clothing over her head, covering her exposed torso. 

“Thank you,” Waverly says. “I just,” she continues. “I just need you to hear me out. You don’t have to even say anything, just listen to me and I’ll leave you alone.” 

“Okay,” Nicole says softly, giving in. Truthfully, she's a little too tired to argue. She sits down on the bed and pats the spot next to her, gesturing for the brunette to take a seat. 

Waverly takes the offer and sits down on the bed next to her. There’s just enough distance between them that they’re not touching. Nicole watches as she looks down at her hands, playing with her fingers for a moment before she speaks. 

“So, Wynonna and I moved in with my aunt and uncle,” Waverly finally spits out. Nicole looks over at her, slightly confused. 

“You did?” She asks. 

Waverly nods, hands still moving together . “To get away from our father,” she tells her. 

“How did he take that?” Nicole asks. 

“He wasn’t happy,” Waverly sighs. “But we made a deal. We still go to his stupid events, act like his perfect children, but he butts out of the rest,” she says. “I couldn’t take the way he was treating us anymore and Aunt Gus offered to help. She doesn’t think we’re screwups.”

“And he’s good with that?” Nicole asks. “It seems too good to be true.”

“He doesn’t have a choice,” Waverly tells her. “He wants to protect his reputation more than he wants a relationship with us.” 

There's a pain in the brunette’s voice that Nicole hears loud and clear. She wants to comfort her, to take her hand in her own and tell her it’s going to be alright. But she just watches as the brunette continues to stare at her own hands.

“And what brought on this change?” Nicole asks. “Why now if he’s been like this for years?” 

“You,” Waverly says, finally looking up from her hands. 

“Me?” Nicole asks as if she doesn’t understand her answer. 

Waverly nods. “The idea of you not being in my life is deviststing to me, Nicole,” she says. “I know we’re young and we have no idea where life is going to go, but I’ve known since the first time we met that you were going to mean something to me.” 

“You tried to trade me in for a better history partner,” Nicole reminds her with a small laugh. Waverly laughs at the memory. 

“But I didn’t,” she reminds her. “Look, I know I tried to give up on you then, but I was so happy I didn’t,” she assures her. “And I know you think I gave up on you now, and it kills me to know that I hurt you.” 

“You can’t just take it back,” Nicole tells her. 

“I know that,” Waverly says. “That’s why the ball is in your court. I just need you to know that things are different now. I’m done letting someone control me that doesn’t even really like me.” Her eyes tear up as the words come out of her mouth. “My own father.” 

Nicole can’t help but reach her hand out to comfort the brunette. She takes one of her hands in her own, rubbing it softly with her thumb. 

“I don’t expect you to just forgive me and take me back, Nicole,” Waverly reminds her. “But I am going to fight to prove to you that I am worth it. That we’re worth it. Because you are worth it.” 

The words that she’s been longing to hear are all pouring from Waverly’s lips. Nicole doesn’t know what to say. She pauses for a moment, gathering her thoughts before she opens her mouth to speak. 

“I’ve been so incredibly upset with you,” Nicole admits, continuing to hold the brunette’s hand. Waverly nods, understanding. 

“I know,” Waverly says. “And I deserve that. I thought I was protecting you.” 

“I didn’t need protecting, Waverly,” Nicole tells her, her tone displaying frustration. “I just needed you.” 

“And I’m here now,” Waverly tells her, squeezing her hand gently. “If it’s too late, like I said, I get it.” 

Nicole pauses for another moment. Part of her wants to tell her it’s too late, that the damage is already done. But the other part of her sees that she’s being genuine when she speaks. She hears the pain in her voice, she sees the apologetic look in her eyes. 

“It’s not,” Nicole says, softly. She shifts over until her thigh is pressed up against Waverly’s. “I’m not saying that I’m going to pretend what happened didn’t, but I’m also not saying that I’m going to pretend what we had wasn’t real, because it was,” she tells her. “It is. Well, it can be, but you can’t run every time something gets hard,” she reminds her. 

“I know,” Waverly assures her. “And from now on, I’m going to trust that we can figure it out together.” She leans further in, resting her head on Nicole’s shoulder. “We can take it as slow as you want, the ball is in your court. I mean that.” 

Nicole nods. “Thank you,” she says, pressing a kiss against the brunette’s forehead. 

“I’m really sorry that I hurt you,” Waverly apologizes. “The way I feel about you scares me, but it’s not going to stop, even if I thought it would be easier.”

“I’d rather love you and have things be difficult than not love you at all,” Nicole says. 

She tilts her head to see Waverly looking up at her, her chin rested on the redhead’s shoulder. She can’t help but smile. She leans in and places a soft kiss on the brunette’s lips, something she missed being able to do so often. 

“So we'll take it slow?” Waverly asks when they pull away from the kiss. 

Nicole nods. “We’ll take it slow,” she agrees. “At least we have Christmas break to figure things out a little more,” she says with a smile.

Waverly smiles as she stands from the bed, hand still clasped with the redhead’s. “I should probably go check on Chrissy, she’s probably making out with Charlie in her room right now.” 

“Don’t let Randy know about it,” Nicole warns with a laugh. 

“Yeah, he’d probably kill him,” Waverly laughs. 

“Man, if only he knew the amount of times we’ve made out in here,” Nicole says. “He’d probably kill you too,” she teases. 

Waverly playfully slaps her in the arm. “He loves me, he’d never kill me!” She argues. 

“That’s actually true,” Nicole says with a shrug. Waverly laughs again and presses a quick kiss on Nicole’s lips before making her way out of the room.

As soon as Waverly leaves, Nicole finds herself missing her. As much as she’s nervous to rush back into a relationship with the brunette, there’s a huge part of her that can’t stop picturing a future with her. 

As the night goes on, she wonders what Waverly is up to. She spent the last few weeks avoiding her every time she knew she was in her house, but now she wants to go find her. 

She gets up from her bed and makes her way into the hallway. The house is quiet, but there’s a dim light illuminating underneath Chrissy’s door. As she heads toward Chrissy’s room, she sees the door open and Waverly slips out into the hallway. The brunette jumps at the sight of Nicole coming down the hallway. 

“Shit,” Waverly says in a loud whisper. 

“Sneaking around?” Nicole teases. 

Waverly laughs and shakes her head. “Bathroom,” she says, pointing at the bathroom door. “Where are you going?” She asks. 

“Looking for you,” Nicole admits. 

Waverly giggles as she makes her way to the redhead, pressing her hands against her sides, grasping the material of her shirt in her fists. “Oh yeah?” She asks with a grin. 

Nicole nods. Her cheeks feel warm. It could be the alcohol from earlier in the night, but it’s most likely the effect that Waverly has on her. 

“Wait here,” Waverly says. She releases her grasp on Nicole’s shirt. Nicole leans up against the wall, watching as the brunette disappears from sight behind the door. 

When Waverly appears moments later, Nicole is still propped up against the wall, leaning her back flat against the surface. The brunette smiles at her through the darkness of the hallway and her heart skips a beat. 

She reaches out for Waverly’s hands and feels the brunette collapse into her arms. She wraps her arms around her body, pulling her close. She missed this. 

“Do you want to come back to my room?” Nicole asks, boldly. Waverly looks up at her and grins. “Will Chrissy come looking for you?” 

“Probably not,” Waverly tells her. “She fell asleep,” she laughs. 

“Where’s Charlie?” Nicole asks. 

“Guest room,” Waverly tells her. “Randy warned him,” she laughs. “I haven’t had a chance to tell Chrissy that we talked,” she says. “Well, what we talked about.” 

“That’s okay,” Nicole assures her. “I don’t mind keeping it between us for a minute, I like to have you all to myself,” she says with a wink. 

“Oh yeah?” Waverly asks. 

“Not that I want to keep you a secret,” Nicole says, quickly. 

Waverly laughs. “I know,” she says. She starts to shiver a bit and Nicole pulls her tighter. 

“Are you cold?” She asks. Waverly nods and Nicole leads her to her bedroom. 

When they enter the room, Nicole closes the door behind them and turns to see Waverly has already made herself at home in her bed. She can’t help but laugh at the sight. 

“You better not be taking up the middle,” she warns as she makes her way over to the bed. 

“What are you gonna do about it?” Waverly teases. Nicole laughs and jumps on the bed right next to where Waverly is lying. Waverly screams and laughs as Nicole slides her body under the blankets, hovering her body over the brunette’s. 

“Are you challenging me, Earp?” She asks with a grin. 

“Maybe,” Waverly says with a smirk. Nicole can’t help but lean down and kiss the brunette on the lips. The spark she feels when their lips connect ignites something inside her as she deepens the kiss right away.

Her tongue brushes lightly against Waverly’s, causing the brunette to moan softly into her mouth. She uses one hand to prop herself up over Waverly as her other hand quickly finds the hem of the brunette’s tee shirt, lifting it slightly to feel the skin underneath. 

As her hand moves higher up Waverly’s body, feeling every muscle in her abdomen, she elicits more noises from the brunette. The sound prompts her to brush her thumb across Waverly’s nipple. She pulls back from the kiss when she feels the brunette take a sharp breath in. 

“I thought we were taking it slow,” Waverly breathes, Nicole’s hand still ghosting her skin. 

“Yeah,” Nicole says, pressing another soft kiss against the side of Waverly’s mouth. 

Her rational side tells her to stop while she’s ahead, to take it slow, to keep her heart guarded. But her body tells her to keep going, that she’s missed Waverly, that she’s so turned on by the brunette that if she doesn’t continue she’s going to explode. 

“Nicole,” Waverly says, breaking her from her thoughts. “Are you sure?” She asks. 

Nicole takes a breath and pushes her body further up, rolling onto the bed next to Waverly. She rubs her face with her hand and feels the brunette roll toward her, resting her hand on her stomach. 

Nicole peels back her hands to see the brunette looking back at her. “I’m sorry,” she says. 

“Hey,” Waverly says, softly. “You have nothing to be sorry about.” 

“I can’t control myself around you,” Nicole admits with a laugh. “I say let’s take it slow and as soon as you’re next to be in my bed I can’t keep my hands off of you,” she groans, covering her face back up with her hands for a moment. 

“I definitely don’t mind,” Waverly says with a laugh. “But I’m also fine just sleeping next to you,” she reminds her. “Just being with you.”

“There’s a huge battle between my head and my hormones right now,” Nicole says with a laugh. 

“And what does your heart say?” Waverly asks, placing her hand gently on Nicole’s chest over her heart. 

Nicole pauses for a moment. She closes her eyes and opens them slowly to see the brunette laying next to her. She gestures for Waverly to come close to her and meets her lips halfway. 

To Nicole, following her heart means putting herself back out there with Waverly. The truth is, she’s in love with her and that hasn’t changed. Waverly hurt her and she can’t pretend it didn’t happen, but at the same time, she understands her intentions. 

After another slight internal battle, she decides to follow her heart and deepens the kiss. She rotates her body again, hovering over Waverly’s. 

“It says that I’m in love with you,” Nicole says, receiving a smile from the brunette. 

“I’m in love with you too, Nicole,” Waverly breathes as their lips reconnect. 

That’s all Nicole needs to hear as she deepens the kiss, quickly. She feels Waverly part her lips, slightly, allowing her tongue access. The brunette claws at her back, under her shirt as their tongues brush.

She kneels on the bed on either side of Waverly’s body, gesturing for the brunette to sit up toward her. After pressing another kiss against her lips, she bunches the fabric of Waverly’s shirt up in her hands, slowly lifting it up her torso. Waverly lifts her arms to help her remove the shirt fully and she tosses it onto the floor. 

Nicole catches a grin on Waverly’s face before she leans back in to kiss her. She doesn’t waste any time before reaching behind her, unclasping her bra with one hand. Without disconnecting their lips, Waverly shimmies her arms to allow the bra to slide off of her body, tossing it to the side somewhere near her shirt. 

Waverly lays back on the bed behind her and Nicole takes a moment to take in the view of the brunette’s topless body underneath her. She brushes loose hairs out of Waverly’s face as she looks into her eyes, a smile growing on her face. Her hands trail from Waverly’s face, slowly down her body. She feels the brunette’s muscles tighten under her touch and watches as she pushes further into her touch. 

Her hands stop on Waverly’s chest, lightly brushing her nipples with her thumbs before moving her hands over both of her breasts. She watches as Waverly licks her lips, a moan escapes her mouth under Nicole’s touch. 

Nicole leans back down toward Waverly’s face, laying kisses against the sensitive skin of her neck. Waverly tilts her head back further, allowing her more access as her kisses trail further down her neck to her collarbone. She slowly begins to move her hand from the brunette’s chest, further down her body, running her fingers along the waistline of her pants. 

She teases her a bit more by dipping her fingers just past the top of her pants, as if she’s going to move further down, but pulls back hearing the brunette groan underneath her. Nicole grins as she continues trailing kisses down to Waverly’s chest, tongue lightly brushing her hard nipple. Another moan escapes Waverly’s mouth as Nicole feels the brunette buck her hips into her body.

She reaches down and takes the top of Waverly’s pants in her hand, pushing it down with her hand as much as she can before requiring help from the brunette. Waverly lifts her hips, using her own hands to push the material further down, exposing herself under the redhead. She kicks the rest of the clothing off of her legs and Nicole immediately finds the outside of the brunette’s thigh with her hand, dragging her fingers against her skin.

“Nicole,” Waverly says almost in a whine, indicating to the redhead what she wants. 

Nicole can’t help but smile again at her as she lightly brushes the brunette’s inner thigh with her fingers. She feels Waverly move her legs further apart, allowing her more access to touch her. As her fingers move toward Waverly’s center, she lightly runs them through the warm wetness waiting for her. Her lips quickly find Waverly’s, stifling a moan that escapes as she pushes her fingers deeper into her folds.

Her thoughts shift for a moment, wondering if they’re being too loud, fearing that they would get caught. She’s quickly distracted and stops caring so much when she feels Waverly push her hips further into her hand. 

“Mm,” Waverly breathes out when she pulls back from the kiss to take a breath. Nicole refocuses on the movements that her fingers are making, beginning to rub circles with her index finger.

As her hand begins to move at a rhythm, she feels Waverly’s hand slide into her sweatpants, fingers dipping between her legs. “Oh fuck,” she moans, her fingers falter for a moment as she loses concentration at the feeling of Waverly touching her. 

“Keep going,” Waverly breathes as she matches the rhythm of her fingers to Nicole’s. Nicole nods quickly and continues her movements. It’s not long before she feels herself coming undone. Her breathing speeds, similar to Waverly’s. She feels a connection with the brunette deeper than she’s felt before. 

Nicole drops her head into the crook of Waverly’s neck as they speed up the movements of their hands. The sound of Waverly’s breathing with the occasional moan fills her ears, encouraging her to slide two fingers inside, feeling the brunette doing the same.

A throaty moan escapes her mouth into Waverly’s ear. It’s not long before she feels herself getting close as she relays that information to Waverly.

“Mm,” she hears the brunette moan as she pumps faster. “Me too, baby,” she breathes. 

That’s all Nicole needs to hear. She speeds her up her movements, the sound of moans fill the room as the pair finishes together. They still their movements, remaining in place for a moment. Nicole lifts her head from Waverly’s neck, placing soft kisses on her face.

After a few more moments, she moves her body, lowering herself back down next to Waverly on the bed. The brunette immediately turns to face her. Nicole brushes her thumb gently on Waverly’s cheek before leaning in, pressing a soft kiss on her lips. She presses her forehead against the brunette’s and closes her eyes, soaking in the moment.

——————-

The next morning, Nicole slowly peels herself away from the brunette’s sleeping form attempting to not wake her. She quietly makes her way out of her bedroom, into the hallway. She turns to close her door and when she turns back toward the bathroom, Chrissy is staring back at her. 

“Shit,” Nicole says, jumping at the sight of the blonde standing in the hallway. “What are you doing?” she asks.

“Bathroom,” Chrissy says, pointing to the nearby door. “Have you seen Waverly?” she asks.

“Um, what?” Nicole asks. “No,” she tries to lie, but knows Chrissy can see right through her. 

“So if I go into your room, I won’t find her in there?” Chrissy asks, gesturing toward Nicole’s room. Nicole panics for a moment, thinking about Waverly being half naked and asleep in her bed.

“Um,” Nicole says. She looks back at her closed bedroom door. “Yeah, you probably don’t want to do that,” she cringes a little.

“Gross, I don’t want to know,” Chrissy says, quickly. “How come you can get away with having people in your room and I can’t?” she whines. 

“Well, I haven’t told him she’s in there, he probably assumes she’s with you,” Nicole says with a shrug. 

“So I just have to be gay and date your best friend?” Chrissy asks. 

“I mean it does have its advantages,” Nicole responds with a grin, receiving a dirty look from Chrissy. “Look, I told you Rosita was single,” she adds with a wink. Chrissy slaps Nicole’s arm. Nicole quickly moves her hand to where Chrissy hit her, pretending to be hurt. 

“Is that what’s happening?” Chrissy asks. “You guys are dating again?” 

“We talked,” Nicole says. “I told her we’d take it slow,” she admits. 

“From the look on your face when I said I was going to go in your room, I’d say you’re not taking it very slow,” she teases.

“I can’t forget what happened, but I love her, you know?” Nicole asks.

“Trust me, I know,” Chrissy says. “Waverly is the best person I know,” she explains. “I get that she’s not always as rational as she likes to act like she is, but she does everything with a purpose. She’ll do anything to protect the people she loves.”

“So you knew she moved?” Nicole asks.

“Of course I did,” Chrissy tells her. “But that was for her to tell you, not me. I was just hoping you’d still be willing to give her another shot when she did.”

“Really?” Nicole asks. 

“I know I pick on you guys a lot, but I do really think you’re good for each other,” Chrissy admits. 

“Thanks,” Nicole says with a smile. “I’m glad you don’t hate me anymore,” she teases. 

“I never hated you!” Chrissy calls out as slaps her again.

“Ow!” Nicole tells, grabbing her arm again. She hears her bedroom door open and they both look up to see Waverly entering the hallway. 

“What are you guys doing?” Waverly asks, looking back and forth between the two of them. 

“Sisterly bonding,” Nicole says quickly, still holding her arm. Waverly shakes her head at the pair with a laugh. “Sorry, did we wake you?” Nicole asks.

“No. Bathroom,” the brunette says, pointing at the bathroom door. “But then I’m going back to be because it’s early,” she adds.

“Waverly Earp wants to sleep in?” Nicole asks, genuinely shocked. 

“Take advantage of it while you can, Haught,” Chrissy teases. 

“You two are the worst,” Waverly huffs as she walks by them and into the bathroom. They both laugh, then look at each other. 

“How did she end up getting the bathroom before us?” Chrissy groans. 

“I don’t know,” Nicole says. “But I’m next.” 

Chrissy groans as Nicole makes her way up to the door of the bathroom, waiting close enough so the blonde can’t move past her when the door opens. A few moments later, Waverly pushes the door open and gives Nicole a confused look as she ducks past her, closing the door when the brunette is out of the way. 

On her way out of the bathroom, she receives another glare from Chrissy who is still waiting outside in the hallway. She doesn’t see Waverly anymore, but hopes she made her way back into her bed like she said she was going to. She quickly moves down the hallway and opens her bedroom door, noticing the brunette curled back up in her bed. 

“You weren’t kidding,” Nicole says with a laugh as she climbs back into bed next to Waverly. 

Waverly has her eyes close and shifts her body closer to the redhead. Nicole lifts her arm to envelop the brunette next to her body. 

“Too early,” Waverly groans, eyes still closed.

Nicole laughs. “You sound like me now,” she says. 

“Shh,” Waverly says, moving her hand up toward Nicole’s face. She taps her on the nose in what seems to be an attempt to cover her mouth, causing the redhead to burst into laughter again. 

“Fine,” Nicole says, kissing Waverly on the cheek. “Go back to sleep,” she says with a smile.

“Thank you,” Waverly whispers, digging her face further into the redhead’s chest. Nicole internally questions whether or not she can breath for a moment, but hears her start to snore softly soon after. 

She can’t help but smile at the girl in her arms. She slowly closes her own eyes, thinking about everything that’s happened over the past day. She can’t help but think about how hurt she had felt, how confused she was by the kiss outside the gym, but how happy it made her to have Waverly back in her life. She’s still scared that she can lose her, but something in her is hopeful that things will be different this time. It’s not long before she falls asleep as well. 

Nicole wakes up to the feeling of Waverly pressing soft kisses against her face. A smile grows on her lips before she even opens her eyes. She’s not sure how long they’ve been sleeping and she wonders if anyone else is awake. 

When she squints her eyes open, she sees Waverly hovering over her. 

“There’s my sleepy head,” Waverly teases. Nicole narrows her eyes at her for a moment. 

“Me?!” She laughs. “You were the one who insisted we go back to bed.” 

“It’s Christmas break! And it’s a Saturday,” Waverly says. “And your bed is warm and I love to cuddle with you. Why am I giving you this many reasons?” The brunette asks with laugh. 

“I don’t know,” Nicole laughs. “But you can continue, what else do you like about me?” She asks with a grin. 

“Um, I was talking about your bed,” Waverly teases. Nicole tried to give her an offended look but is quickly greeted by the brunette’s lips. “So do you have plans for today?” She asks. 

Nicole thinks for a moment. Originally she was probably just going to sulk in her room for the rest of Christmas break, but she’s glad that plan has gone out the window. 

“Would you be able to help me with something?” Nicole asks. She runs her hand down Waverly’s back, rubbing the exposed skin of her lower back softly with her thumb. 

Waverly nods. “Sure,” She says with a smile. 

“Will you go Christmas shopping with me for Chrissy and Randy?” Nicole asks, half expecting the brunette to say ‘no’ since it’s so close to Christmas. 

Waverly’s face lights up with a smile. “Yes!” She says, a little too excited. 

“Why are you that excited?” Nicole asks with a laugh. 

“I just love Christmas,” Waverly says with a shrug. 

“Even shopping the weekend before?” Nicole asks. She cringes at the thought of what the mall is going to look like this close to the holiday. 

“I’ll go for you,” Waverly says with a smile as she boops Nicole on the nose. The redhead shakes her head and laughs. “Besides, Wynonna wanted to go shopping today too,” she adds. “Do you mind if she tags along?” 

“No,” Nicole says. “That sounds fun,” she smiles. She thinks about the last time she was at the mall with Waverly and Wynonna and the fight that broke out when the older Earp made comments about their relationship. She’s not even sure what Wynonna is going to say about them being back together. She’s not even sure what Wynonna thought about them being apart. “Does she know we’re together?” 

“I haven’t really had a chance to tell her,” Waverly admits. “You’ve kept me pretty busy,” she says with a wink. 

Nicole feels the brunette’s hand start to trail down her arm, which sends a shiver down her spine. She can’t help but lean in and kiss her, attempting not to deepen it too much in fear that she won’t want to get out of bed. 

“Well,” Nicole says in between kisses. “Quit being so sexy,” she teases.

“Really?” Waverly asks, raising an eyebrow to the redhead. Nicole can’t help but laugh. 

“No,” she says. “Never stop,” she pleads. Waverly laughs and shakes her head at Nicole. She presses a couple more kisses against her lips before swinging her feet toward the edge of the bed. She scoots off the bed, planting her feet firmly on the floor. 

Nicole internally groans at the fact that she actually has to get up but follows suit soon after, climbing out of bed to get ready for the day. 

  
  


The mall is more crowded than she’s ever seen it before. She realizes quickly that she’s not the only one last minute shopping for Christmas. She hasn’t really been in the Christmas spirit lately with everything going on between her and Waverly. She also has been having difficulty coming up with something to buy for Chrissy and Randy. She’s sure they won’t mind if she doesn’t get them anything, but she feels like they’ve done so much for her since she’s been here that it’s important for her to show her gratitude. 

She’s hoping Waverly can lead her in the right direction. Buying presents for people has never been her forte. Even the thought of buying something for Waverly was intimidating, so she ended up drawing her something. She just hopes that the brunette isn’t disappointed in her choice of gift. 

“So you two got back together quickly,” Wynonna says as they walk through the crowded mall. 

“Wynonna,” Waverly warns. 

Wynonna immediately throws her hands up in front of her defensively. “Hey,” she says. “I don’t mean anything by it!” 

Nicole laughs. She wraps her arms around the brunette’s waist from behind. “We’re in love,” she says. 

“And still gross, I see,” Wynonna teases. 

Waverly shakes her head at her sister, giving her an annoyed look. “Where’s your boyfriend?” She asks. “Or are you two off again?” She teases. 

Nicole steps back a little and laughs at the banter between the two sisters. She’s a little shocked at Waverly fighting back, but proud at the same time. 

“He’s around,” Wynonna says with a shrug. “And we’re not off,” she adds. “Not today at least.” A grin grows on the older Earp’s face. Nicole can’t help but let out a laugh but quickly stifles it when she sees Waverly give her sister a look. 

“Well you probably should figure out for how long,” Waverly suggests, pointing toward Wynonna’s stomach. 

Wynonna immediately brings her hand to her stomach for a moment. “I know, I know,” she groans. “Let’s focus on Christmas for now, I don’t need a damn lecture!” 

“Fine,” Waverly agrees. She reaches out and takes Nicole’s hand in her own, leading her and Wynonna further into the crowded mall. 

It doesn’t take long before Nicole starts to feel anxious with the amount of people surround her in each store they go into. She struggles to think of what to buy for her foster family. She misses the days it was socially acceptable to color something on paper and they thought it was cute because she was a kid. She has no luck finding anything at the first four stores they go into.

“Maybe this is a bust,” she says as they enter the fifth store of the day. “I don’t even know what they would want!” she groans. 

“Chrissy is easy,” Waverly assures her. Nicole just gives her unbelieving look in return.

“Sure, for you,” Nicole says. “You’ve known her forever!” 

“Well, isn’t that why you wanted me to come?” Waverly asks. 

Nicole laces her fingers in between the brunette’s and raises it to her mouth, kissing it softly. “I wanted you to come because I wanted to spend time with you,” she says with a smile, receiving gagging noises from Wynonna. Nicole laughs and turns to Wynonna. “You want to help me come up with a gift for Randy?” she teases.

“Oh sure,” Wynonna says, sarcastically. “I have a few ideas,” she laughs. 

“This!” Waverly says, grabbing a pallet of makeup off the shelf next to her. “Get her this, she’d love it!” she says. 

Nicole narrows her eyes at the product. “Makeup?” she asks. Something she knows nothing about, so she’s really going to have to trust Waverly on this one. 

“I promise, she’ll love it!” Waverly tells her. 

“You sure?” Nicole asks. Waverly nods. Nicole thinks for another moment, wanting to be sure before she buys it. She finally agrees and feels a little better about the shopping trip being half way successful. 

By the end of the day, the Earp sisters have many more bags with them than Nicole does. She’s worried about her choices in presents for the Nedleys, but realizes she doesn’t have much more time between now and Christmas. She settles on a tie for Randy, which will probably leave in her in the ‘worst gift giver ever’ category, but she’s sure they’ll at least pretend to like their gifts. 


	21. Chapter 21

On Christmas Eve, Waverly invites Nicole to come over and spend time with her and her family. Nicole feels a lot more comfortable knowing that she doesn’t live with her father anymore, but she’s afraid to ask if he’s going to be there. Waverly explained to her that Chrissy usually spends Christmas Eve with them since Randy usually has to work. 

Chrissy and Nicole make their way over to Waverly’s house in the early afternoon. Curtis and Gus are out of the house picking up last minute things at the store, but Wynonna is hanging around. When they arrive at the house, Chrissy walks right in like she owns the place. Nicole assumes she’s spent a decent amount of time here despite the fact that Waverly never lived there before. 

Nicole enters slowly behind her, closing the door behind her. They’re greeted by a bubbly Waverly and it’s not long before her arms are wrapped tightly around Nicole’s waist, practically knocking the wind out of her. 

“Hi, baby,” Nicole says with a smile, pressing a soft kiss on her lips. She’s holding a wrapped present in her hands, putting it behind her back as a poor attempt to hide it from the brunette. Waverly doesn’t question her. 

“Merry Christmas Eve,” Waverly says with a smile to Nicole and Chrissy as she loosens her grip on Nicole, allowing them to come further into the house. 

Nicole looks around the room a bit. The house is a lot more modest than Ward’s house, but it’s still large. There’s a much more warm feeling about it as well, feeling more like a home than the last place Waverly lived. Waverly drags her by the arm, telling her she’s going to take her on a tour. Nicole laughs and follows in the direction she’s being pulling. She’s not sure where Chrissy went, but she realizes she’s no longer with them by the time they make it to the top of the stairs. 

“This is Gus and Curtis’ room,” Waverly says as she points toward a door in the hallway. It’s partially opened, but she doesn’t look inside in fear that she would be violating their privacy. “Wynonna’s room,” the brunette says as she continues down the hallway a bit. “Guest room.”

Nicole continues to follow Waverly as she heads further down the hall. They stop as they reach the last room at the end of the hall. “Your room?” Nicole asks, but she already thinks she knows the answer to the question. 

Waverly smiles and nods as she opens the door. “It’s a work in progress,” she says as they enter the room. 

Nicole takes a look around the room. There are still a few boxes on one side, near her closet. She has some of her trophies up on a shelf, some pictures displayed of her and her friends. She stops and looks at one of the photos a little closer. It’s from the night of the Snow Ball. She smiles at how happy everyone looks in the photo, but can’t help but remember how she felt during that picture. She brushes the thoughts aside quickly when she feels the brunette place her hand on her back. 

“We don’t have any pictures that’s just the two of us,” Nicole says, turning toward the brunette. 

Waverly gives her a soft look. “There’s still time,” she says with a wink that Nicole can’t help but smile at. “Sooo,” the brunette says, eyes drifting down to the gift in Nicole’s hand. “What’s that?” she finally asks. 

“I wasn’t sure if we were doing presents today,” Nicole says, holding the gift out in front of her more. “I mean, you didn’t have to get me anything,” she says, quickly, realizing it sounded like an expectation. “I just... made you something,” she says as she hands the present to Waverly. She grows nervous as she watches the brunette’s face light up with joy.

“Baby!” Waverly squeals with excitement. Nicole watches as the brunette tears at the wrapping paper, uncovering a picture frame. Waverly’s eyes widen as she flips the frame over to see one of Nicole’s drawings inside the frame.

“It’s the first drawing I ever did of you,” Nicole says, she’s still a little worried she’s going to think it’s lame. “I know it’s not something fancy, but-” she continues before she’s abruptly cut off by Waverly’s lips. She instinctively wraps her arms around the brunette. 

“I love it,” Waverly says, genuinely as she pulls back from the kiss. 

“Yeah?” Nicole asks to be sure. 

“Are you kidding?” Waverly asks. “That’s the sweetest thing anyone has ever given me,” she admits. Nicole breathes a sigh of relief. “Do you want yours now?” she asks, turning toward her desk and picking up a wrapped gift.

“Sure,” Nicole says with a smile. She takes the package from the brunette, unsure of what it could be. She feels Waverly’s eyes on her as she peels back the wrapping paper, revealing a leather covered sketchbook. A smile grows on her face as she looks it over. “Waves, this is beautiful,” she says, still looking at the sketchbook. The smell of fresh leather hits her nose as she breathes in. 

“And look,” Waverly says, pointing to the cover where there are small letters reading ‘N.H.’ in the corner. 

“You had it personalized?!” Nicole asks, excited. She tries to remember what she did last Christmas. She remembers having a quiet day with her foster parents. They told her that they didn’t ever do much for the holidays, but wanted to make it special for her so they tried. She doesn’t remember ever having anyone give her something that showed that they truly knew her like Waverly just did. 

“Do you like it?” Waverly asks. 

“Baby, this is,” Nicole starts, searching for the right words to say. “Thank you,” she says with a smile on her face. She doesn’t know what else to say, she just wraps her arms around the brunette and pulls her closer to her body. “Best Christmas ever,” she whispers, receiving a giggle from the brunette in her arms. 

“It’s not even Christmas yet,” Waverly says. 

“But if I get to spend it with you, it’s officially my favorite one,” Nicole says as she looks down the bridge of her nose at the brunette that’s looking up at her. Waverly pushes up on her toes as Nicole dips her head further down, lips meeting halfway.

There’s a knock on the door, breaking them from their moment. The door slowly pushes open and Wynonna appears. “Warning,” she says. “Gus and Curtis back,” she informs them. 

“Is that a bad thing?” Nicole asks, turning her attention toward the older Earp.

“No,” Wynonna says. “Just didn’t want them to find you up here with the door closed,” she warns. Nicole looks back at Waverly who is now placing the picture frame on display on one of the shelves in her room. 

“House rules,” Waverly huffs, rolling her eyes. “We’re coming down,” she tells her sister. Wynonna gives her a thumbs up and heads out the door. 

“No closed doors?” Nicole asks, giving her a playful pouty lip. Waverly laughs and makes her way over to Nicole. 

“Put that thing away,” Waverly says as she pushes Nicole’s lip back in. “They’re not home all the time,” she says with a wink, tapping Nicole on the ass. She walks by the redhead toward the door, gesturing for her to follow. 

As they make their way down the stairs, they’re greeted by Gus heading toward the kitchen with grocery bags. “Will you girls go help the others get the rest of the groceries?” She asks. They agree in unison and head toward the door. “Hey, Waverly,” Gus calls out before they can get too far. 

“Yeah?” Waverly asks. Nicole looks back to see Waverly stopping in her tracks.

“No closed doors up there,” the older woman says with a quick wink. 

“I know, I know!” Waverly says as she turns back toward the front door. She pulls Nicole by the arm, taking her outside with her. 

They return shortly after with arms full of grocery bags, bringing them to the kitchen. Gus thanks them and they ask if there’s anything else they can help with. She tells them ‘no’ and they make their way toward the living room. 

Before they make it into the living room, they’re greeted by Waverly’s uncle, Curtis. 

“Uncle Curtis,” Waverly says. “This is my girlfriend, Nicole,” she introduces the redhead to the man. 

Nicole smiles at the man, putting her hand out for him to shake. She gives him a firm handshake and receives a smile in return. 

“Nice to meet you, sir,” she says, trying to make a good impression. 

“Nice to finally meet the girl my niece is so smitten about,” he replies, causing the redhead to smile. 

“Well, you have an amazing niece,” Nicole tells him, she’s sure it’s something he already knows. 

“I do indeed,” Curtis says. 

“Damn, act like you don’t have two amazing nieces here!” Wynonna huffs as she comes up behind Waverly and Nicole. “Haught stuff could have had me first,” she teases as she smacks Nicole on the ass and makes her way past them. 

“Wynonna!” Waverly yells. 

“On that note,” Curtis says. “I’m going to go find Gus,” he tells them as he gestures toward the kitchen. 

Wynonna breaks out into laughter. “You two nerds ready to watch movies or what?” She asks. Waverly and Nicole nod and follow the older Earp into the living room. 

“You guys were slow so I picked the movie,” Chrissy says at the other girls join her in the living room. She waves the dvd case in the air. 

“Yes!” Waverly cheers. “I love that movie!” She adds as she takes the case from her friend and heads toward the dvd player.

“I’ve never seen it,” Nicole admits. 

“You’ve really never seen the ‘Santa Claus is Coming to Town?’” Waverly asks, shocked. She pops the movie into the dvd player and makes her way over to the couch. 

“Why are you more surprised about this movie than you were about Harry Potter?” Nicole asks as she takes a seat on the couch. She positions herself in the corner, allowing Waverly to lean up against her as she drapes her arm over her shoulder. 

“She’s barely seen any movies!” Chrissy says, adding to the conversation. 

Nicole shrugs. “Found better things to do with my time, guess,” she says. 

“Imagine if she just sat around and watched movies all day,” Wynonna says. “She probably wouldn’t be here with us today!” She snorts out a laugh. 

“Okay, okay,” Nicole says. She can’t help but laugh at the older Earp’s joke. “Is this about to turn into a ‘sit around and rag on Nicole’ day?” She asks. 

“No!” Waverly says right away. “Stop picking on my baby!” She whines at her sister and her friend. 

Chrissy and Wynonna scoff at the pair as Waverly turns to face Nicole, kissing her softly on the lips. “Thanks,” Nicole says softly, smiling back at the brunette. She ignores the reactions she gets from the other two girls in the room.

Waverly settles back into Nicole’s arms as the movie starts to play on the TV. Nicole loses focus easily on the movie as she feels Waverly’s thumb brushing softly on her thigh. She turns her head slightly toward her. 

Her eyes quickly move to Waverly’s neck, she pictures kissing the exposed skin on the area. Her eyes travel slowly down to Waverly’s chest, watching it rise and fall as she breathes. She swallows hard at the thought of her hands on the brunette’s body, fingers tracing the outline of every part of her. 

Waverly lets out a laugh, bringing Nicole’s focus back to the brunette’s face. She sees that she’s focused on the movie and turns her attention back to the TV screen, attempting to push the inappropriate thoughts from her head. She feels Waverly squeeze her leg, realizing the brunette is looking up at her. 

“Do you like it?” she whispers. Nicole nods her head quickly, pretending that she’s been watching it the entire time. She hopes she doesn’t ask too many questions, causing her to give herself away. 

When the movie ends, Wynonna claims that she gets to pick the next one. She makes a joke that maybe she’ll pick one that Nicole has seen before. Nicole almost hopes that’s the case so she doesn’t get called out on not paying attention. 

Nicole groans as Waverly stands up from the couch. She reaches out to try to pull her back to her but she’s too far away. “I’m getting a blanket,” Waverly says with a laugh.

“You’re my blanket,” Nicole says, playfully. 

“Man, Nedley, we’re going to have to start cuddling soon. These two are making me feel lonely,” Wynonna teases. 

“Okay, but I want to be the big spoon,” Chrissy adds, receiving a dirty look from Waverly followed by a pillow flying across the room in her direction. 

“You two are ridiculous,” Waverly huffs as she grabs a blanket and heads back to the couch. “I could never picture my best friend and my sister together,” she says with a laugh.

“I can picture mine,” Chrissy says with a wink toward the pair. 

“Awe, Chrissy,” Nicole says. “That’s the sweetest thing you’ve ever said to me,” she teases. 

Waverly laughs as she takes a seat back on the couch, cuddling up into Nicole’s arms again. She pulls the blanket over the pair. “I told you Chrissy has always wanted a sister,” she teases.

Chrissy picks the pillow up that Waverly had thrown at her earlier and throws it back at the brunette. 

“Okay, children,” Wynonna says, gaining the attention of the three others. “Shut up, the movie is starting!” She tells them as she sits down in the chair she was occupying before she got up. 

“What did you choose?” Chrissy asks, only to receive a loud ‘shhh’ as Wynonna puts her finger to her mouth. Nicole lets out a laugh but attempts to keep it quiet to avoid any dirty looks from the brunette. 

The movie starts and the room gets quiet. As soon as the music starts playing Waverly calls out, “Wynonna, you  _ always _ pick this movie!” 

“Elf is a classic!” Wynonna calls back. 

Nicole laughs. “I mean, it is a classic,” she agrees with Wynonna. 

“Sure, you’ve seen this one,” Waverly teases. “But when I saw she always picks it, I mean any time of the year,” she explains. 

“Ohh,” Nicole says, understanding. 

“Because it’s hilarious!” Wynonna argues. Nicole sees Waverly shake her head at her sister, but she settles further into the redhead’s side. Nicole wraps her arm around Waverly’s shoulder again, turning her attention to the movie. 

If there’s one thing Nicole has learned from watching a movie with Wynonna that she’s seen several times is she doesn’t know how to be quiet. The older Earp spends the majority of the movie quoting it, which no one else seemed bothered by. Nicole assumes this is because they’re used to it by now. 

When the movie is over, Gus tells them it’s time for dinner. Nicole thanks them again for having her when she makes her way into the kitchen with Waverly. 

“Of course, dear,” Gus says with a smile. 

Doc arrives shortly before they start eating. Wynonna gives him a warning look because he’s late, but the rest of the family seem more sympathetic toward him. Nicole hasn’t gotten to talk to him too many times, usually when they’re together he’s off somewhere making out with Wynonna. 

They spend dinner talking amongst the group. She learns that Gus is very wise in everything she says and Curtis is a fairly quiet man. When he does speak, it’s funny and she can’t help but laugh, but she notices that Gus does most of the talking between the two of them. 

She takes a moment to look around the table, observing everyone a little more. She notices Gus and Curtis interacting with each other. They compliment each other on specific foods on the table that they each made. She notices Wynonna and Doc and how they interact with each other. Wynonna acts tough and jokes a lot, but she can see that she really cares about the man and the way Doc looks at her shows that the same goes for him. She watches Chrissy and Waverly as they share inside jokes with each other.

A smile grows on her face as she continues to observe. She feels Waverly’s hand squeeze her leg under the table, bringing her attention back toward the brunette. 

“You okay?” Waverly whispers, leaning in a little toward the redhead. 

Nicole nods. “Yeah,” she says. “I’m just observing. This is nice,” she tells her, looking back across the table. 

“I’m happy you’re here,” Waverly tells her, smiling back at her. 

“What are you two whispering about over there?” Wynonna calls out, gaining the attention of the pair. 

“Oh, Wynonna, leave them alone!” Gus tells her. 

“Thank you, Aunt Gus,” Waverly says with a smile, giving her sister a warning look. 

“You guys are no fun,” Wynonna huffs. Nicole laughs, receiving a playful slap on her leg from Waverly. 

“Ow!” She whines. Waverly laughs. They continue talking as a group for the rest of dinner. Gus asks Nicoke a lot of questions about herself, more than she did the first time they met, but she doesn’t mind. She likes that she’s taking the time to get to know her and make her feel welcome. 

After dinner, Wynonna recruits Nicole to help her with the dishes. Nicole wants to make a good impression, so she doesn’t protest. Waverly and Chrissy hang out together in a different room with Doc until Nicole and Wynonna are done. 

“Is there a real reason that you wanted me to help you instead of anyone else?” Nicole asks as she stacks the plates up near the sink. 

“Relax, Haught,” Wynonna says. “We don’t actually have to wash the dishes, we have a dishwasher,” she informs her. 

Nicole laughs. “Well this is my kind of clean up then!” 

“Besides, maybe I just missed me friend,” a Wynonna adds. Nicole gives her a sympathetic look. She knows she hasn’t spent much time with Wynonna since she started dating Waverly. She feels bad about that.

“Sorry,” Nicole says. 

“It’s cool,” Wynonna huffs. “You’re better than those guys from the school that wanted to date my sister,” she adds. 

Nicole laughs, shaking her head at the older Earp. “So now you’re sure you’re cool with me dating your sister?” She asks. “You used to threaten me,” she laughs. 

“I’ll still threaten you if you don’t behave or treat her right,” Wynonna warns, pointing a finger at the redhead. 

“I know, I know,” Nicole says, putting her hands up in front of her. She leans down, starting to load dishes into the dishwasher.

“Look, Haught, I see how happy you make my sister and that’s cool with me,” Wynonna says, softer this time. 

“She makes me happy too,” Nicole adds. 

“And that’s also cool with me,” Wynonna says with a smile. “I know it probably hasn’t been easy for you here, but for what it’s worth I’m glad you’re here. You bring out a side of my sister we barely get to see and if you ask me, it’s pretty awesome,” she continues. 

“Really?” Nicole asks. She never really thought of it that way. She sees a side of Waverly that she doesn’t always show others, but she feels like it’s been that way from the start. 

“Yeah. I know my dad got pissed about a lot of things, but Waverly standing up to him and doing things she wouldn’t usually let people see, that’s you helping her find her way out of her shell,” Wynonna tells her. “My sister has always been a good person, a great person, she’s the best person,” she searches for the right thing to say. “But part of her has always been afraid of disappointing people. That was usually my job,” she admits. 

“You’re a good person too, Wynonna,” Nicole assures her. “Waverly is lucky to have you. Well, we all are,” she says with a smile.

“You’re not going to try to kiss me now, are you?” The brunette asks. Nicole looks back at her and shakes her head as she laughs. “Okay, but all jokes aside, thanks for taking care of her.” 

“You’re getting soft on me,” Nicole teases. 

“You tell anyone and I kill you,” Wynonna warns. 

“There’s the Wynonna we all know and love,” Nicole says with a laugh. 

It doesn’t take them much longer to finish cleaning up the dishes. Soon after, they make their way out of the kitchen to find everyone else. When they make it to the living room, Gus is sitting on the couch next to Waverly. Curtis is in one of the chairs and Doc is in the other, while Chrissy sits on the other side of Waverly. 

“Looks like we get to cuddle now,” Wynonna teases Nicole as they walk further into the room. 

Nicole shakes her head at the older Earp and takes a seat on the empty couch. Waverly quickly stands up from where she’s seated and makes herself comfortable next to Nicole. They spend the next couple of hours watching more Christmas movies together as a family. 

On their way up the stairs that night before bed, they head Gus call out to them, reminding them of the guest room. 

“We know,” Waverly says, pulling Nicole by the hand down the hallway. 

“Thanks,” Gus says with a smile. “Goodnight girls.” 

“Goodnight,” the three girls say in unison before Gus shuts her bedroom door. They make their way into the guest room. Nicole wraps her arms around Waverly’s waist, placing a soft kiss on her lips. 

The sound of Chrissy coughing to gain their attention behind them breaks them from their moment. “You’re not alone,” she reminds them. 

Nicole groans dramatically, throwing her head back. Waverly laughs and pushes her, playfully. “We know!” She tells Chrissy as she turns to face her. 

“How come Wynonna and Doc don’t get the third degree about sleeping arrangements?” Nicole asks as she plops down on one of the beds in the room. She reaches out for Waverly, pulling her closer to her body. 

“It’s not like they’re not having sex,” Chrissy snorts our a laugh. “She’s already knocked up!” Nicole laughs and Waverly gives them a dirty look. 

“Come on, babe!” Nicole pleads. “I know you’re protective of your sister but it’s a little funny,” she tries to reason with her. 

“Fine, it is a little funny,” Waverly finally agrees. “Look the rules suck but this place is so much better than living with my dad,” she tells them. 

“Amen to that!” Chrissy calls out as she lays back on the bed behind her. “We just have to paint your room still!” 

“Yes!” Waverly says. “Make it my own,” she adds with a smile. 

“You’re still good to come over for Christmas dinner with us right? Or is Warden Ward stopping that tradition too?” Chrissy asks.

“We’re going to his house during the day,” Waverly says. “I made it clear to him what my plans were,” she adds. There’s an aura of confidence pouring out of her. Nicole can’t help but smile.

“Wow, Waves, this standing up to your dad thing is a good new look for you!” Chrissy says in a cheerful manner. 

“It’s kinda hot,” Nicole adds.

“Nicole!” Waverly squeals, slapping the redhead’s arm. 

“I mean, she’s not wrong,” Chrissy says. “Too Bad I’m not into girls ‘cause damn!” The blonde says, looking her best friend up and down. 

Waverly pulls a blanket over her body to hide. “You’re ridiculous!” She huffs. “What makes you think I’d go for you if you were into girls?”

Chrissy gasps, placing her hand on her chest for effects “I’m offended!” 

“I’m more into redheads,” Waverly says, looking back at Nicole, giving her a quick wink. 

“Damn right!” Nicole cheers causing Waverly to laugh. Chrissy continues to pout from the other bed. 

“Oh stop!” Waverly says with a laugh. “That would be weird and you know it!”

“Yeah, probably,” Chrissy agrees, taking the time to really think about it. “She’s all yours Nicole!” 

“Just the way I like it,” Nicole says as she pulls Waverly tighter to her body. “Are you spending the night tomorrow?” She asks Waverly. “Because I want to give you your other present,” she whispers in the brunette’s ear. 

“Really?!” Chrissy yells. “I’m right here!” Waverly breaks out into laughter and nods her head at the redhead. 

“Geez, Chrissy, before your wanted to know how it was, and now you act disgusted that it happens,” Waverly teases. 

“Wait, really?” Nicole asks. 

“I was curious,” Chrissy says, nonchalantly, shrugging it off. 

“And what did you say?” Nicole asks her girlfriend, raising her eyebrows up and down. 

“That’s private information between me and Chrissy!” 

“I think it’s between us, actually,” Nicole corrects her. 

“If I tell you, you’ll get all cocky,” Waverly huffs.

“So that means I’m good,” Nicole says, putting her hands behind her head, leaning back in confidence. 

Chrissy breaks out into laughter, shaking her head at the redhead. Waverly playfully slaps Nicole on the stomach, making her laugh again. 

They continue talking for another hour or so before they all three fall asleep. Nicole wakes a couple of hours later, noticing Waverly curled up next to her. She looks so peaceful and doesn’t want to wake her. She slowly slides herself out of bed, and covers her further with a blanket before making her way into the hallway to use the bathroom. 

When she leaves the bathroom, she wants to go back into the bed with Waverly. She misses the warmth of her body, but remembers her aunt’s warning and doesn’t want to rock the boat in a home that Waverly finally feels comfortable in. She makes her way into Waverly’s room, climbing into the bed. It’s not the same as sleeping next to her, but the smell of Waverly fills her senses and it doesn’t take her long to fall back to sleep. 

Morning rolls in with sunshine beaming into the bedroom. Nicole slowly opens her eyes and stretches her body, before climbing out of bed. Without Waverly laying in bed with her, she finds it easier to actually get up in the morning to go find her. As she leaves the bedroom, she hears someone walking down the hallway. She stops in her tracks when she sees the look on the woman’s face as she looks between Nicole and Waverly’s bedroom. 

“Oh, I, uh,” Nicole stutters. 

Before she can get much else out, the door the the guest room opens and Waverly appears in the hallway. 

“Good morning,” she says with a smile on her face. 

“I was just,” Nicole tried again. “Waverly fell asleep in the guest room so I went in there,” she explains to Gus as she points to Waverly’s bedroom. 

The older woman smiles and nods, finally understanding what’s going on. “Thank you,” she says. 

“We know the rules,” Waverly adds. 

“Kids always know the rules,” Gus tells them. “But that doesn’t mean they always follow them!” She adds. “Merry Christmas, girls,” she says with a smile as she makes her way further down the hallway toward the stairs. 

Nicole turns toward Waverly, who is now closer to her side. She feels the brunette wrap her arms around her core. “Merry Christmas, baby,” Waverly says with a smile before Nicole’s lips meet hers. 

“Merry Christmas,” Nicole says. 

“Merry Christmas, ya filthy animals!” The hallway suddenly fills with the sound of Wynonna’s voice. They turn to see the brunette donning a one piece Christmas patterned outfit with a hood, causing them to break out into laughter. 

Once everyone is awake, they spend the morning together before they part ways for the day. Chrissy and Nicole go home to spend the rest of the day with Randy and Waverly gets ready to go see her dad. Nicole can tell she’s not particularly excited about having to go over there, but she tries to put up a good front. 

“I’m here if you need me,” Nicole says, softly, as she rubs Waverly’s arm with her hand. 

“I know,” Waverly says as she buries her face into Nicole’s chest. “Thank you.” Nicole wraps her arms further around the brunette, pulling her close and kissing her on the forehead. “It’s just lunch and then I’ll be over to see you guys,” Waverly says as if she’s reminding herself more than she’s reminding Nicole. 

Nicole nods and they share one more kiss before she and Chrissy head out to Chrissy’s car to go home. The rest of the day is spent relaxing. Chrissy makes a statement that she better not have to go anywhere else because she doesn’t want to put ‘real clothes’ on. 

They exchange gifts after lunch. She enjoys the relaxed nature of the day. When she did celebrate Christmas, it was when she had younger foster siblings in the house and they made her get up at the crack of dawn and the living room was destroyed within twenty minutes. 

Randy and Chrissy both love their gifts. She’s not sure if they're just being polite, but they seem pretty genuine about it. Chrissy watches intently as she opens her gift from her. She seems pretty excited about it. As she slowly peels back the wrapping paper, she realizes that she’s unwrapping a new amp for her electric guitar. Her eyes widen and a grin grows on her face. 

“What?!” She calls out. “No way!” She doesn’t know what else to say. 

“Now you can actually play your guitar,” Chrissy tells her with a smile.

Nicole can’t stop smiling. She lifts the amp, looking it over. She thinks about how thoughtful of a gift it is. “Thanks, Chrissy,” she says. “This is really awesome.” 

“No late night jam sessions,” Randy warns, making Nicole laugh. She shakes her head. “I have one more thing for you,” the man adds, handing her a an envelope. Nicole isn’t sure what could be inside. She hopes it’s not some surprise letter from someone in her past she isn’t prepared for. 

She slowly peels the envelope open, revealing its contents. She gives it a confused look as she pulls out a piece of paper from the inside. She reads the paper slowly, still completely unsure of what it is. 

“It’s a college fund that I opened in your name,” Randy tells her. Nicole looks surprised as she lifts her head to look up at the man. “Before you protest,” he continues. She laughs to herself at the fact that he seems to know her fairly well by now. “Chrissy has one too and I know you’ve shown interest in college lately, so I wanted to make sure you had the opportunity to go,” he explains. “If that’s what you choose.” 

“Randy, this,” Nicole starts, barely able to make words. She’s truly shocked by the gesture. She wants to tell him it’s too much, she wants to tell him it’s not necessary, but instead tears form in her eyes. “This is amazing,” she tells him. 

She’s never felt so welcomed, so included, so accepted anywhere in her life. Not only has this man offered his home to her, no questions asked, he’s gone out of his way to do something for her that he never had to do. “I’m not sure how to thank you enough,” she says, a couple of tears escape her eyes. She brushes them away as quickly as they fall.

She stands up from where she is seated and makes her way over the Randy. He stands and reaches his arms out, pulling the girl into a hug. “Thank you,” Nicole says again.

“You’re welcome,” Randy says. “You’re going to do great things in this world, Nicole,” he tells her. She’s still in shock when she pulls away from the hug. She grasps the envelope tight in her fingers, staring at it again for a moment. 

“Thank you guys for everything,” Nicole says when she’s able to form words again. “Not just for Christmas, but for giving me a home,” she continues. “And a family. It really means more than I can ever begin to explain.”

“You’re pretty cool,” Chrissy says with a shrug. Nicole can tell she’s trying to avoid being too sentimental herself, but she can tell deep down that she cares. 

Waverly comes over a couple of hours later, with a couple of board games in hand. She tells them she was hoping they would want to play. Chrissy and Nicole agree to spend the evening plays games with the brunette. When the night calms down, Nicole gestures for Waverly to follow her into her bedroom for a moment alone.

“How was lunch with your dad?” Nicole asks as she closes the door behind them. 

“It wasn’t too bad,” Waverly admits. “Not as bad as I thought it would be,” she tells her. She takes a seat on Nicole’s bed. “Willa and Robert were there too. She was actually pretty pleasant, which was kind of shocking,” she laughs. “How was your day?”

“It was pretty awesome,” Nicole tells her. “It’s weird to have such a ‘normal’ feeling Christmas for once.” Waverly gives her a sympathetic look and gestures for her to come toward her. She feels the brunette’s hands immediately find her hips as soon as she is within arm’s reach. “Randy opened a college fund for me,” she tells her. She feels like she’s going to cry again at the thought of how sweet the gesture was. 

“Yeah?” Waverly asks, Nicole nods. “Baby, that’s awesome!” she smiles up at the redhead. “So you want to go to college?” she asks. 

Waverly and Nicole have discussed college a few times, but she usually tells her she’s not sure if she wants to and Waverly doesn’t push the subject.

“I applied to a school in the city,” Nicole tells her, receiving a surprised look from the brunette. 

“Really?” Waverly asks. 

Nicole nods again. “I started thinking a lot about the future when we,” she starts. She doesn’t like to think about the fact that they broke up earlier in the month. “When I had more time on my hands,” she says. 

Waverly gives her another sympathetic look. Nicole doesn’t want to dwell on the past too much and she’s not trying to make the brunette feel bad for something that she’s already accepted her apology for. 

“Hey,” she says, brushing loose hair from Waverly’s face. “I love you,” she tells her. “I just thought maybe if I apply, I’ll have opportunities to make something of myself in the future.” 

“I love you, Nicole, and I believe that you can be anything you want to be,” Waverly tells her. 

“I’ve never really put much thought into anything past high school before,” Nicole tells her. “To be honest, it’s kind of scary,” she says with a laugh. 

“Well,” Waverly says. She slides her hands up to Nicole’s sides, gently rubbing them with her thumbs. She pulls the redhead a little closer to her body. “How about we figure it out together? Life seems a little less scary that way,” she grins up at Nicole. 

Nicole smiles and leans down toward the brunette, resting her forehead against Waverly’s. “Sounds good to me,” she says in almost a whisper. 

“Can I tell you something?” Waverly asks. 

Nicole lifts her head to make eye contact with the brunette. “Anything,” she says. 

“I also applied to a school in the city,” Waverly tells her. She gives Nicole a look like she’s unsure how she’s going to react. “I really felt comfortable there and thought it’s somewhere I could see myself in the future,” she admits. 

Nicole can’t help but smile back at Waverly. She leans in and kisses her softly. “As long as we can keep doing this in the future, I’ll be happy,” she says. 

“You’re such a sap,” Waverly teases as she bunches up the fabric on Nicole’s shirt, pulling her back in for a kiss. 


	22. Chapter 22

On New Year’s Eve, Gus and Curtis made plans with friends out of town and Wynonna has been at Doc’s house, so Nicole and Waverly take advantage of them not being home. They have plans to have a party at Nicole’s house that night, but for now, they’ve been enjoying their time alone. 

“Fuck!” Waverly calls out, louder than Nicole has ever heard her before. 

She looks up from her position between the brunette’s legs, grinning as she slows her movements, after feeling Waverly’s hips thrust forward and back down onto the bed. 

She takes her time kissing her way back up Waverly’s body, starting at her inner thighs, making her way north. She kisses her abs, they’re still slightly tightened from the contracting of her muscles. She notices her chest rising and falling, a little slower now, as she places a few kisses there. 

She feels Waverly’s hands on her, pulling her slightly upward toward her face. She hovers her body over the brunette, her lower half pressing against Waverly’s. She feels like electricity shoots through her at the feeling of her body against the brunette’s. Their lips meet, softly at first, but the kiss is quickly deepened. 

“You’re really good at that,” Waverly says with a grin in between kisses. 

“You sure I don’t need more practice?” Nicole teases, raising an eyebrow at the brunette. She brings her hand further down Waverly’s body, fingers tracing her outline. 

“Mm.” A sound escapes Waverly’s mouth. “But not before I practice on you,” she says, lowering her hand between the two of them, sliding between Nicole’s legs. 

A small moan escapes Nicole’s lips at the feeling of Waverly’s hand on her body.

Suddenly the door of Waverly’s bedroom flies open. “Hey, Waverly, have you seen my-” Wynonna starts, clearly stops in her tracks. “Oh shit!” 

“What the fuck, Wynonna!?” Waverly yells. Nicole jumps, turning quickly to see Wynonna standing in the doorway, covering her eyes. She reaches down as quickly as she can and pulls a blanket over the pair, laying on the bed next to the brunette. 

“Damn, babygirl, I’ve never heard you yell ‘fuck’ so loud,” Wynonna teases, letting out a loud gut laugh. 

Nicole wants to laugh. She wants to tell her that she’s heard Waverly say that louder in the past, hell, she heard her yell it not that long ago. But she’s currently more concerned about the nice view of her ass her girlfriend’s sister just got when she walked in on them having sex. 

“Wynonna!” Waverly yells again. “Get out!” Nicole can feel anger spewing out of the brunette as her sister, who is still covering her eyes, finally backs out of the room and closes the door. As soon as the door closes Waverly groans. “I’m so sorry,” she apologizes to Nicole, turning to face her. 

Nicole isn’t sure what to say. That’s definitely the most compromising position she’s ever been in when someone else entered the room. She lays flat on her back and covers her face in embarrassment. 

“Baby,” Waverly says. She doesn’t try to pull her hands away just yet, but Nicole feels her place her hand on the redhead’s abs, rubbing soft circles with her thumb. 

“Pretty sure your sister just got a nice view of my ass,” Nicole groans. Waverly giggles a little. 

“Well, it’s a really nice ass,” she says, clearly trying to lighten the mood. Nicole peels her hands back a little and glares at the brunette for a moment. She can’t keep the expression for long when she sees Waverly’s soft eyes and smile looking back at her. 

“She used to threaten me to stay away from you when I first moved here,” Nicole says. “Now she tells me she’s cool with us, but I didn’t need her to whiteness every aspect of the relationship!” She groans again. 

“Nicole,” Waverly says, trying to calm her down. 

“Aren’t you embarrassed?” Nicole asks. “Well, I mean, she didn’t see you naked,” she huffs. 

“Well, that would probably be worse for her, wouldn’t it?” Waverly snorts out a laugh. Nicole gives her a look. Waverly laughs. “This is going to make things awkward between you two, isn’t it?” She asks. 

“And it won’t be for you?” Nicole asks. 

“Yeah, but I’m her sister. She knows she can only push me too far before I get mad. And she hates it when I’m mad at her,” Waverly tells her. 

“Ugh!” Nicole groans dramatically again, throwing her head back into the pillow, covering her face with her hands. 

“Can I help take your mind off of it?” Waverly asks in a seductive tone. 

Nicole moves her fingers so she can peek through and see the brunette’s face. She sees Waverly raising her eyebrows at her in a playful manner. She feels the brunette’s hand travel further down her body. She closes her eyes for a moment, but only to see Wynonna walking in the room again. She groans and opens her eyes again. 

“What’s wrong?” Waverly asks. 

“I can’t stop seeing her opening the door!” Nicole whines, gesturing toward the door. 

“Here,” Waverly says as she stands from the bed. She makes her way to the door and locks the handle before returning to Nicole’s side. “Better?” 

“Maybe,” Nicole says, taking Waverly’s hand and returning it to its last location on her body. She closes her eyes again briefly, but quickly opens them when she starts to picture the older Earp barging through the door again. “I’ll just keep my eyes open,” she says. 

Waverly laughs. “Good idea,” she says as she pulls the redhead in for a kiss. 

  
  


When they make their way downstairs later that day, they find Wynonna sitting in the living room, feet up on the coffee table, flipping through the TV channels. 

“Nice to see you two fully clothed and vertical,” the older Earp says with a laugh as they enter the room.

“Wynonna,” Waverly warns, gearing in her direction. Nicole takes a seat on the couch, avoiding eye contact with Wynonna. 

“Are you hungry, babe?” Waverly asks Nicole. 

“Nah, I just ate,” Wynonna says. Waverly shakes her head at her sister. “But I guess you guys did too,” the older earp adds, snorting out a laugh. 

“Wynonna!” Waverly yells, stomping her foot toward her sister.

“Sorry!” Wynonna calls back. “I needed to get it out of my system!” She says. 

“Now drop it!” Waverly warns. Wynonna doesn’t speak, but just nods at her sister. 

“Snack?” Waverly huffs in Nicole’s directly, clearly frustrated with her sister at the moment. 

“Sure,” Nicole finally speaks, smiling back at her girlfriend. Waverly heads toward the kitchen and Nicole just focuses on the tv, continuing to ignore Wynonna. 

“Look, Haught, I think it’s great that you take care of my sister and her needs,” Wynonna starts when Waverly is fully out of the room. Nicole immediately glares at the brunette wishing she would just stop talking. 

“Please shut up, Wynonna,” she says, as calmly as she possibly can. 

“In the middle of the day…” Wynonna continues to egg her on. 

“What’s with no one knowing how to knock on a door that’s closed around here, regardless of what time of day it is?” Nicole asks.

“What’s with you not knowing how to lock a door?” Wynonna countered. 

“We didn’t think anyone was home and it just kind of happened,” Nicole says. “But the door was still closed!” 

“Well, now I know to knock,” Wynonna laughs. “But look, there’s no need to be embarrassed, I didn’t see much,” she insists. “Well, I didn’t look long.” 

Nicole groans. “Thanks,” she huffs.

“Hey, now I can officially say you really do have a nice ass,” Wynonna tells her. “Definitely top shelf,” she says, giving her a thumbs up. 

“Well, I officially hate you, so,” Nicole says. 

“You do not!” Wynonna says, laughing at the comment. 

“I don’t,” Nicole reluctantly admits. “But you can seriously shut up any time now,” she adds. 

“Fine,” Wynonna finally agrees. 

“And we don’t need to ever mention it again,” Nicole adds. Wynonna nods and continues finding something to watch on tv. 

Waverly returns to the room moments later. “What are you guys talking about in here?” She asks. 

“Nothing,” they say in unison. Waverly looks suspiciously between the pair but doesn’t question them any further. 

  
  


That night, with Randy out of town for New Years, Chrissy decides to throw a party at their house. Nicole is a little reluctant about the idea of throwing a party at the house of a police officer, but she goes along with it, assuming this isn’t Chrissy’s first experience with this. 

When Waverly and Nicole arrive back at the house, they find Chrissy with Jeremy and Robin running around getting things ready for the party. 

“Nice of you two to show,” Chrissy huffs in their direction as she walks past them, not stopping to talk to them. 

“Sorry, we were,” Waverly starts, unable to come up with a good excuse. Chrissy gives her a look like she doesn’t want to hear it. “Are you mad?”

“No,” Chrissy huffs, not really convincing anyone that she’s not mad.

“What can we do to help?” Nicole asks. 

Chrissy hands them a list that she made to prepare for the party. Waverly takes it out of her hand and Nicole leans over the brunette’s shoulder to read the list. “Man, you’re worse than me!” Waverly teases. 

It doesn’t take any more than an hour or so to complete the rest of the list that Chrissy had made, giving them enough time to get ready for the party. 

For Nicole, that just means taking a quick shower and throwing on whatever clothes she can find. Instead of her usually flannel, she opts for a shirt that’s a bit more dressy to go along with her dark washed skinny jeans. 

She figures she won’t see Waverly for a little while longer since her and Chrissy are getting ready together. She makes her way downstairs to find Robin and Jeremy hanging out in the living room together. 

“What’s up, gentlemen?” Nicole says as she plops down on the couch across from them. She notices how close they’re sitting to each other, Robin has his hand on Jeremy’s leg, Jeremy has his hand on top of Robin’s. She smiles at the pair, thinking about how adorable they are together. 

“Ready to party?” Jeremy asks, a little more enthusiastically than she expected to see.

“You gettin’ wild tonight, Chetri?” Nicole teases. 

“Oh yeah,” Jeremy says, putting his hands in the air. Robin laughs and shakes his head at his boyfriend. 

“It is our last New Year’s Eve before we graduate!” Robin adds. 

“Should I be afraid for what that means?” Nicole asks. 

She thinks about the fact that most of these people have been together in school since kindergarten, or even before. She had her friends back in the city, but with the moving around she did and the fact that there’s several different schools that people can attend in the city before they all end up together in high school, she never had that sense of community that she feels people have here. 

She does have to admit that it was easier for her to find friends here than she thought it would be. She feels like she has Waverly to thank for some of that. She’s not sure what life would be like without her, and she never really wants to find out again. She wonders if it’s too soon to think like that. Most of her life she’s heard, ‘you’re young, how do you know what you want?’ So it’s kind of hard when she finally feels like she’s found it. Young or not, she knows she has something special and she sure is hell isn't going to let that go without a fight. 

“Depends on who shows up tonight, I guess,” the taller boy says with a shrug. 

“Do you know who’s coming?” Nicole asks. 

“Who knows,” Robin says. “It’s a small town, word travels fast.” 

“If anyone causes any problems we could just call the cops,” Jeremy says with a laugh. He gives them a look like he’s trying to gauge whether or not they get that he’s trying to try a joke. 

Nicole gives him a look at first that she hopes says, ‘let’s not call the cops on a party at an officer’s house,’ but the look on his face makes her laugh at the joke anyway. 

“Sure, dude,” she says with a laugh. 

“Tough crowd,” Jeremy huffs. 

They continue talking amongst themselves until Chrissy and Waverly make their way down the stairs. Nicole turns when she hears someone else enter the room. Her jaw drops at the sight of the brunette in a tight, fitted, red dress. The dress hugs her every curve in just the right way and falls a few inches above her knees. 

The brunette smiles back at her, looking down at her own body before their eyes meet again. Waverly gives her a look that she reads as, “do you like it?” A huge grin grows on Nicole’s face as she nods in response to the brunette’s look. 

“Need a tissue for that drool, Nicole?” Robin calls out, bringing her back to reality. She realizes she isn’t alone in the room with Waverly and turns her attention to her friend for a moment, just enough time to flip him off before standing up from her place on the couch. 

She slowly makes her way over to the brunette, continuing to smile the entire time. When she reaches her, she places her hands on both of Waverly’s cheeks, gently cupping her face. She takes a deep breath in before kissing her softly on the lips. The kiss doesn’t deepen. They pull away slowly, eyes still closed Nicole whispers, “my god, you’re beautiful.” 

A soft giggle escapes the brunette’s lips. Nicole slowly opens her eyes to see Waverly staring back at her. She feels like they’re alone in the room again. 

“Thanks,” Waverly says. 

“I love you so much,” Nicole says, pressing her forehead briefly against Waverly’s. 

“Man,” Chrissy’s voice comes from behind Nicole. She didn’t notice that she migrated across the room while her eyes were fixated on Waverly. “Where do I get myself one of those?” She asks with a laugh.

Nicole and Waverly laugh and turn toward Chrissy. Nicole feels the brunette grasp at her hip until she takes her hand in her own, lacing their fingers together. Nicole wraps her other arm around Waverly’s back, holding her close. 

“One of what?” Waverly asks. 

“Someone who loves me like you guys love each other,” Chrissy explains. “You know, so sweet it makes your teeth hurt,” she teases. 

Waverly gives her a look and Nicole laughs. “What about Charlie?” Nicole asks. 

“He’s cool,” Chrissy says. “But he’s not here!” She whines. 

“You could have invited him,” Waverly tells her. 

“And risk him seeing me New Year’s Eve drunk?” Chrissy huffs. “Hell no!” 

Nicole laughs. She’s not sure she wants to know what ‘New Years Eve drunk’ looks like, but she’s afraid she’s about to find out. 

As the night goes on, the house fills with more and more of their classmates. Nicole watches as Waverly dances with Chrissy, she even joins in at times. She spends time talking with Jeremy and Robin and tries to mingle with some of her other classmates as well, but steers clear of the ones that she knows will get on her nerves. 

“You look dressy tonight,” a voice comes toward her as she turns her head in the direction of it. 

“Right back at you,” she says to Rosita, noticing she’s actually wearing a dress. 

“Figured I’d celebrate the new year in style,” she says with a wink. 

“Sure you’re not trying to impress anyone?” Nicole teases, raising her eyebrows playfully. 

Rosita scoffs at the redhead. “Gross,” she says. “No one around here is worth it,” she tells her. Nicole gives her a look. “Well, I mean, you got a good one,” she tries to correct herself, causing Nicole to laugh. “How’s that going, anyway?” She asks. 

“Really good, actually,” Nicole says as she glances in the direction of her girlfriend. “Am I weak for taking her back so easily?” She asks as she turns back toward Rosita. 

“Nah,” Rosita says. “As long as you’re happy and you’re being treated well too.” 

“She’s a really good person,” Nicole says as if it’s something Rosita doesn’t already know. 

“Have you guys talked about what happens after high school?” Rosita asks. Nicole pauses for a moment. 

That’s not something she even wants to think about right now. She just got Waverly back, the thought of possibly losing her again is something she tries to keep far from her mind. 

“We’ll get there,” she replies, brushing off the idea of having to talk about it right now. “We were supposed to be taking it slow, but I don’t know dude, there’s something about her,” she says, looking back in the direction of Waverly. 

“You got it bad, Haught,” Rosita teases. 

“She makes me want to dive in head first, even if I don’t know how far down the bottom is,” Nicole adds.

She smiles at Waverly who is now making eye contact with her. The brunette gestures for her to come toward her. Nicole gestures toward Rosita, indicating that they’re talking but puts one finger up showing her she’ll be over soon. Waverly nods and continues dancing with Chrissy. 

“Yeah, you definitely got a good one,” Rosita tells her again. “I’m a little jealous,” she says with a laugh. Nicole laughs but her attention is quickly brought back in the direction of Waverly when she sees Champ Hardy making his way across the room. 

“Who let him in here,” Nicole scoffs. She immediately feels her defenses build as she moves closer in the direction of Waverly. She feels Rosita place her hand on her shoulder, bringing her back to reality a little. She takes a deep breath and stands at a distance, watching the interaction. 

“So Waverly, I’m single now,” Champ says with a smug look on his face, gulping down some of the liquid from the cup in his hand. 

“I didn’t know that you were with anyone,” Waverly says. She doesn’t give him her full attention as if she’s hoping he’ll just drop it and leave her alone. 

“Yeah,” Champ continues. He moves a little closer to the brunette. Nicole arches her neck as if she’s trying to get a better look at the amount of space left between the pair. “Stephanie and I broke up,” he tells her. 

“You were dating Stephanie?” Waverly asks. Her tone is fairly flat like she’s really not interested, but she’s trying to be polite. 

“Dating, doing, it’s all the same, right?” The boy says with a grin as he takes another sip of his drink. 

“Gross,” Chrissy adds with a fake gag. Champ gives Chrissy a dirty look and turns back toward Waverly, slightly boxing the blonde out. 

“But my point is, I’m single again so we can give this undying thing between us another go,” he says, gesturing between the two of them. He moves so his back is further in front of Chrissy, who is trying to interject again. He places his hand on the wall behind Waverly, above her head. Nicole takes another step toward the pair. 

“First of all, there’s definitely no undying thing between us,” Waverly says using air quotes. “Second of all, no,” she huffs as she slips out from under his arm. 

“Come on,” he whines, trying to move in front of her again. 

“Champ,” Waverly warns, she puts her hands on his chest to push him away. 

Nicole continues to watch at a distance. She’s close enough to hear the interaction but far enough to allow Waverly to handle it on her own until she needs her. She doesn’t want Waverly to get the impression that she thinks she can’t handle herself. But the more she watches, the more she feels herself become defensive, hands balling into fists at her side. She takes deep breaths in through her nose to calm herself down. 

“I told you so many times, I’m not interested in anything with you,” Waverly continues. “And I’m also very happy with Nicole.” 

Nicole smiles as the brunette smiles back at her. Waverly has now moved a little further away, adding more space between her and Champ. She gestures for Nicole to come toward her, reaching out her hand for her to take when she reaches her.

“Oh you’re back on that train again?” Champ huffs. She looks them up and down, disgusted. “I thought you two broke up.”

“We’re back together,” Waverly says with a smile as she looks up at Nicole. She squeezes the redhead’s hand a little tighter. 

“For now,” Champ huffs under his breath. 

“What’s that supposed to mean?” Waverly spits. Nicole feels the brunette tense up in anger. She uses her thumb to run soft circles on her hand in attempts to calm her down. 

“You can’t honestly tell me you’re into girls all of a sudden,” Champ continues digging at Waverly as if Nicole isn’t standing right there. “Since when are you even gay?”

“My sexuality is really none of your business,” Waverly informs him. 

“How can a girl give you what you need?” Champ challenges her, his words slightly slurred. 

“Hey, Nicole?” Waverly asks, turning fully toward the redhead, pressing their bodies together. 

“Yes?” Nicole says, locking eye contact with the brunette. 

“Come here,” Waverly says almost in a whisper as her hands find Nicole’s face, pulling her in for a kiss. Nicole is thrown off at first by the power of the kiss, but she can’t help but reciprocate it right away. 

“Okay, as hot as it is to watch you kiss another girl, that doesn’t really answer my question,” Champ tells them as they pull away from the kiss. “You can’t just rub two bodies together and expect to get off on that!” 

“I’m not going to even entertain the idea of that conversation with you Champ, but trust me, I get what I need,” Waverly says with a smirk. 

She winks at Nicole, grabbing her ass with her hand. Nicole’s eyes widen in surprise as she breaks out into laughter. Champ scoffs at the pair.

“Okay, Champ, move along or I’m going to have to kick you out,” Chrissy says, pulling on the boy’s arm. Once he’s further away from Waverly, Chrissy gives him another push to coerce him away from the pair. 

“Thanks, Chrissy,” Waverly says, smiling at the blonde. 

“I’m serious though,” Chrissy says. “I’ll kick his ass out of here,” she gestures over her shoulder. 

“Meh,” Waverly says. “Don’t waste your energy on him unless he starts shit again,” she tells her. Chrissy nods and is soon pulled away by a couple other classmates wanting to talk about the upcoming track season. 

“Sorry I grabbed your ass in front of Champ,” Waverly says, apologetically, as she turns back toward Nicole. “He just makes me so mad.” 

“It’s okay, I get it,” Nicole admits. She takes the brunette into her arms, standing with her feet further apart so they’re closer to the same height. 

Waverly smiles and leans in for a kiss. “Besides, I’ve never been worried you wouldn’t be able to give me what I need,” she admits, her cheeks slightly flushed. 

“Oh yeah?” Nicole asks, raising a playful eyebrow to the brunette. 

“Not at all,” she says, shaking her head back and forth. She takes a drink from the cup in her hand before she continues. “Have you ever been worried?” She asks, dragging her hand down Nicole’s abdomen. 

“Are you kidding?!” Nicole asks. 

“Well, I didn’t have experience,” Waverly adds.

“Baby, I don’t care if you didn’t have experience!” Nicole tells her. “I wouldn’t even care if all I did was touch you,” she admits. 

Waverly smiles back at the redhead. “Yeah, no way,” she says, quickly. Her hand has now made its way to Nicole’s belt, resting heavy on the metal clasp. 

Nicole presses her body tighter against the brunette’s, swallowing hard at the thought of being touched by her. She feels Waverly’s fingers softly brush the outside of her pants, just below her belt. She quickly presses her lips against the brunette’s, forgetting again for a moment they’re in a room full of people. 

“You wanna sneak upstairs for a minute?” Waverly asks as she pulls a little on Nicole’s belt. 

Nicole lets out a deep breath, trying to keep her composure. “Will anyone miss us?” She asks, glancing around the room. 

“We won’t be gone too long,” Waverly says with a wink. “It’s not even close to midnight,” she assures her as she slides her hand further down Nicole’s thigh. 

Nicole glances at the clock to see it’s just shy of eleven o’clock, giving them time before they’d want to be back with their friends to ring in the new year. Not that she really wants to ditch them all, but right now her brain is on a one track ride with the way her girlfriend is touching her. 

“Okay,” Nicole says as she takes Waverly by the hand and heads for the stairs. 

“You two better not be ditching out on the rest of the party!” Chrissy calls after them as they reach the steps. 

“What do you have a tracker on us?” Nicole asks as she turns around to see the blonde giving them a warning look. 

“No, I just don’t want you guys to leave me all night” Chrissy whines. 

“Chrissy!” Waverly groans. “We’ll be back,” she says, giving her friend a look. Chrissy looks between the pair and shakes her head at the pair, pretending the gag. 

Nicole shakes her head at the blonde and pulls on Waverly’s arm, leading her further up the stairs. When they enter Nicole’s bedroom, Waverly quickly pushes the door closed behind them. 

Nicole is pleasantly surprised at the urgency of the brunette as she starts to tug at Nicole’s belt. Nicole cups the brunette’s face with her hands, pulling her into a kiss. The kiss deepens, tongues brush, moans escape their mouths. 

Waverly pulls back from the kiss as she fumbles a bit more with Nicole’s pants, unbuttoning them and sliding them down her legs. The brunette looks back up at the redhead, eyes full of desire. Nicole gestures for Waverly to come close so she can kiss her again but she shakes her head as she lowers herself to her knees, nails clawing at Nicole’s legs.

“Do I not get to touch you?” Nicole asks. She can feel the brunette’s warm breathe on her bare skin, causing her to fill with arousal. 

“Not now,” Waverly says, grinning up at her. “Right now it’s about you,” she tells her as she drags her nails further down the sensitive skin of the redhead’s thighs.

Nicole feels goosebumps form on her legs as she stares down her body at the sight of her girlfriend on her knees in front of her, hands on either one of her thighs. Her top half is still donning a nice button down shirt that was once tucked nicely into her pants but now hangs loosely on her body.

She stands with her legs slightly parted in a natural stance as she sees the brunette break eye contact with her and bring her eyes back down to Nicole’s legs. A loud moan escapes her mouth when she feels Waverly begin to leave kisses, softly on her inner thighs. Suddenly she’s very thankful for the loud music that she can still hear playing downstairs. 

As the brunette moves closer to her center, Nicole feels herself becoming even more turned on if that were even possible. She feels Waverly’s fingers run slowly between her legs, finally realizing how turned on she really was. A deep moan escapes her lips, coming from somewhere deep within her throat. She throws her head back, banging it slightly off the wall behind her. 

Waverly looks up in panic. “Are you okay?” She asks. Her fingers still but don’t move from their location of Nicole’s center. 

Nicole tilts her head back down and nods. “Keep going,” she manages to breathe out. 

The brunette nods and continues to slides her fingers back and forth, slowly, pressing warm, wet kisses on Nicole’s thigh. Her free hand is pressed against the back of the thigh as if she’s using it to brace herself. 

It’s not long before Waverly’s fingers are replaced with her tongue. There goes another moan, definitely louder than the last. Nicole finds herself leaning harder against the wall, as if she’s going to fall if the wall wasn’t there. 

The feeling of Waverly’s tongue on her most sensitive spots of her body is causing her to quickly come undone. This isn’t the first time the brunette had gone down on her, but she’s never done it like this before. There’s something about the way the brunette is determined to focus on Nicole’s needs over her own. There’s something about how gentle, but forceful she’s being all at the same time. She’s never felt so wanted by anyone before and it is definitely a huge turn on. 

She reaches down from where she had her hands flat against the wall to run her fingers through Waverly’s hair. She doesn’t think about trying not to give the girl ridiculous sex hair for everyone to notice when they finally return to the party. At this point, she couldn’t care less about even going back downstairs, but she knows she won’t get away with that. 

Not long after she feels Waverly’s fingers inside of her, she feels herself getting close. She watches down her body at the sight of the brunette, diving deep, clearly focusing on one goal. Her breathing becomes more of a panting the closer she gets. She manages to moan out Waverly’s name, causing the brunette to hum against her skin. 

Waverly places her free hand against the small of Nicole’s back as she increases her speed and pressure until the redhead is officially coming undone. Nicole’s hips thrust toward the brunette once more before she tells her she’s too sensitive for her to keep going. She sees Waverly smile up at her as she runs her tongue through her wet folds once more, causing Nicole to take a sharp breath in. 

As Waverly slowly stands from her position on the floor, she slides her hands up the redhead’s abs under her shirt. Nicole quickly pulls her into a kiss once she fully standing. 

“Wow,” Nicole says when she can finally make words again. Waverly giggles as she places a few more kisses on the redhead’s face. “That was…” she trails off. 

“Yeah?” Waverly asks as she presses another miss on the side of Nicole’s mouth. 

“Mmhmm,” Nicole says, nodding. She pulls the brunette back in for a deeper kiss than the soft ones they’ve been sharing. Her hands begin to explore Waverly’s body, thumbs brushing lightly over her nipples through her tightly fitted dress. 

“Baby,” Waverly breathes. Nicole continues placing kisses down the brunette’s jawline, to her neck. “Baby,” she tries again. Nicole groans and pulls away enough to make eye contact with the brunette. “We have to go back downstairs,” Waverly tells her. 

“Damnit,” Nicole huffs. 

Waverly lays one more kiss on Nicole’s lips before making her way over to the mirror on the other side of the room to make sure she looks presentable. 

Nicole glances down at her body, her pants and underwear still bunched up at her feet. She takes one more look at the brunette, taking in her every curve before she reaches down and pulls her pants back over her legs. She tucks her shirt back in, attempting to smooth out any wrinkles that were just created. 

When she feels like she’s a little more put together, she makes her way over to the brunette and wraps her arms around her shoulders from behind. She sees Waverly smiling back at her in the mirror. They stand like that for a moment before Nicole finally shifts, remembering there’s a party full of people below them. 

“I’ll meet you downstairs,” Waverly says as she stops off at the bathroom in the hallway. Nicole nods and releases her grip that she has on the brunette’s hand. 

Turning on her heels, she makes her way back down the stairs. She’s quickly greeted by Rosita who’s talking to a few of their classmates, not far from the bottom of the steps. 

“Man, Haught, could your face get any redder?” Rosita teases. Nicole stops in her tracks. She’s pretty sure her face just got redder. She gives the girl a warning look. “Where’s Waverly?” Rosita asks. 

“Bathroom,” Nicole says, gesturing back up the stairs. “I’m gonna grab a drink,” she says as she makes her way into the kitchen. She hears the other girl excuse herself from the girls she was talking to and follows her into the kitchen. 

“Do I finally get my best friend back?” Chrissy huffs as Nicole enters the kitchen. The blonde is pouring herself a drink. Nicole holds her cup out in front of her, silently asking for a refill. 

“We weren’t gone that long!” Nicole says with a laugh. She glances at the clock to see it’s been about a half an hour since they were last downstairs. She wants to tell her that if she had it her way, they would have rung in the new year naked in her bed. 

“Told you we'd be back,” Waverly says to Chrissy as she comes up behind Nicole. She wraps an arm around Nicole’s waist, planting her hand firmly on her opposite hip. She takes the drink from the redhead’s hand and takes a sip before handing it back. 

Nicole laughs. “Get your own!” She whines, playfully. 

“So are you two gonna stop touching each other long enough to hang out with your friends?” Rosita teases. Waverly groans and pours herself a drink.

“I don’t know,” Nicole says. “I’m a pretty good multitasker,” she teases. 

“Gross,” Chrissy huffs as she gestures for the group to follow her into the living room. They quickly find Robin and Jeremy. 

“Where have you guys been?” Jeremy asks. 

“You really don’t want to know,” Chrissy huffs, plopping down on the couch next to the boy. 

Just before midnight, Chrissy gathers everyone into one room the best she can. She stands up on the coffee table, trying to gain the attention of her classmates, ready to do the final countdown to midnight. 

Robin and Jeremy stand nearby, Robin has his arms around Jeremy from behind. Nicole grasps onto Waverly’s hand as they stand next to the two boys. Rosita isn’t far away either. Nicole takes a moment to look between her friends. She thinks about how she started off this year in the city. She was drunk at some random party, a few friends nearby. She was heartbroken about Eliza leaving, so she found the closest girl to make out with at midnight, feeling obligated. 

She thinks about how differently the year ended. She moved to a whole new location. She made new friends, found a new love and even found a family. She thinks about the next year to come and while she’s partially terrified about what the future will bring, she’s excited to see where her life will go. She finally feels content about where she currently is in life. For the first time in as long as she can remember, she doesn’t feel like she needs to run. 

Ten. 

Nine.

The room fills with the sound of everyone calling out the last ten seconds of the year together.

Eight. 

Seven. 

She feels Waverly pull her closer to her body. She turns to make eye contact with the brunette, who is smiling at her. 

Six. 

Five.

Nicole smiles back at her girlfriend. She moves her hand to softly cup Waverly’s face. Prepared to kiss her lips as soon as the clock strikes midnight. 

Four. 

Her smile grows bigger. Man, she’s beautiful. 

Three.

Her heart beats faster. She starts to lean in. 

Two. 

She feels Waverly’s breath against her lips. She starts to part them. 

One. 

“Happy new year!” 

The room fills with the cheers of her classmates. Balloons soar through the room. Confetti flies everywhere. She tries not to think about what the house is going to look like when everyone leaves. 

Waverly giggles as she pushes up on her toes and presses a hard kiss against Nicole’s lips. She feels the brunette’s arms snake behind her, bodies flush against each other. 

“Happy New Year, Nicole,” the brunette says, her smile is huge. 

“Happy New Year, Waves.” 


	23. Chapter 23

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I just wanted to thank everyone for all the awesome feedback and for continuing to read this story!
> 
> I’m currently moving into another house right now, so if I miss an update don’t hate me too much...more will be coming! I just haven’t had as much time to write these past couple of months because of moving! I’m hoping to be able to get back into writing a lot more soon. 
> 
> There are several more stories where this came from :)

When they return to school at the start of the new year, most people already know that they’re a couple again. It’s nice to be able to hold Waverly’s hand in the hallway again, but Nicole remembers the last time they were at school and how awkward it was between the two of them. 

In the new semester, Nicole and Waverly have three classes together, plus lunch. Nicole is a little bummed when she finds out that they don’t have first period together.

“What am I going to focus on first thing in the morning?” Nicole whines as she shuts her locker door. Waverly is already holding a stack of books and leaning up against the wall, waiting for the redhead.

“Math, I hope,” Waverly says with a laugh.

“Why did your math class change?” Nicole asks as they make their way down the hallway together.

“Baby,” Waverly says. “We’ve been over this,” she sighs. “I’m taking extra AP classes this semester.”

“Oh, right,” Nicole says. “I forget how much of a nerd you are because you’re so sexy,” the redhead teases, nudging her playfully with her hip.

“Are you saying nerds can’t be sexy?” Waverly asks, raising an eyebrow to Nicole. Nicole can’t help but laugh.

“Not normally my go to,” Nicole says with a shrug. “But damn, girl, you’re sure the exception,” she says, looking her up and down.

“My god, you two are always horny!” Chrissy whines from behind them. Nicole is unsure of how long the blonde has been following them. 

“Yes,” Nicole says, plainly as she turns around to make eye contact with Chrissy. 

“All you guys did was bang over the break,” Chrissy huffs. “Haven’t you moved on to conversation or something?” 

“I mean, we talk too,” Waverly tells her with a laugh.

“Sometimes we do both at the same time,” Nicole adds, casually. 

“Nicole!” Waverly whines.

“What?!” Nicole asks. Waverly doesn’t answer her, she just shakes her head at the redhead. “What’s your schedule look like, Nedley?” Nicole asks, changing the subject. 

The blonde hands over the piece of paper that she’s holding in her hand. Before Nicole has a chance to look at it, Waverly peels it from her grip, squealing at the fact that they all have gym, study hall and lunch together.

“I’m surprised you have time for a study hall,” Chrissy teases as the brunette hands the paper back to her. 

“You guys think all I do is over achieve!” Waverly huffs. 

“Well, you don’t get to the top of the class for nothing,” Chrissy informs her. 

“Yeah, yeah,” Waverly says. Nicole isn’t sure why the brunette always brushes off the fact that she’s valedictorian of the class. She thinks it’s an amazing achievement and she’s proud of Waverly for her accomplishments. But Waverly sticks with her modesty, never believing she’s better than anyone because of it. This is something Nicole loves about her. “This is my stop,” Waverly tells the pair as she gestures to a nearby classroom. “I’ll see you guys in gym!” 

Nicole leans in for a kiss before letting go of the brunette’s hand and making her way to math. She finds the class to be more boring without Waverly to sit with her, but she does find it easier to focus. Usually she’d find herself zoning out and staring at the brunette, only to get a dirty look and a warning about paying attention. 

The next two periods go by fairly fast. Part of her doesn’t want to rush to get to gym class because high school gym class is definitely not her cup of tea, but getting to see Waverly was definitely a bonus. 

As she enters the gym, she makes her way over to the bleachers where Chrissy and Waverly are already seated. She plops down on the hard wood of the bleachers, placing her hand on Waverly’s leg. 

“I missed you,” Waverly says, sliding her hand over the redhead’s.

“I missed you too, Haught,” Chrissy adds with a wink.

“Right back at you, Nedley,” Nicole says, pointing a finger in her direction. 

Waverly laughs and shakes her head at the pair. “How was math this morning?” She asks Nicole.

“Is that what class I have first period?” Nicole teases. “It’s like a whole new subject when I don’t have my distraction.” She squeezes Waverly’s hand a little harder, receiving a smile from the brunette. 

“Gross,” Chrissy huffs. “We were just talking about your birthday,” she says, changing the subject.

“What about it?” Nicole asks. Waverly has been on her case a lot lately about what she wants to do for her birthday. She keeps telling her she’s totally cool with low key but she’s not sure that’s what Waverly wants. She keeps insisting on making it bigger. 

“Are we partying or what?” Chrissy asks, playfully slapping Nicole on the arm.

“We really don’t have to…” Nicole trails off as the sound of the gym teacher’s voice echoes through the gym. She breathes out a sigh of relief at the thought that she doesn’t have to keep talking about her birthday. 

  
  


After school that day, Waverly gives Nicole a ride home. Chrissy makes a comment about how she never gets to give her rides home anymore. Nicole counters her with a comment about how she never wanted to give her a ride in the first place. 

The ride home is mostly filled with Waverly talking about her day. She asks a few times about Nicole’s day but she replies mostly with, ‘it was fine.’ 

The conversation quickly transitions into Waverly asking again about what Nicole wants to do for her birthday. She keeps trying to tell her she just wants to spend time with her, but the brunette doesn’t seem to be fully on board with that, insisting on some sort of party. 

“Waves, for the thousandth time,” Nicole huffs as they exit the vehicle and head toward the front door of Nicole’s house. “I don’t need a birthday party!” 

“But you’re going to be 18!” Waverly whines, pulling on Nicole’s arm. 

Nicole sighs and opens the front door to the house. “Yeah, and you’re point?” She asks, holding the door open for her girlfriend to walk through first.

“You only turn 18 once!” Waverly reminds her. 

“Well, I hope so,” Nicole teases with a laugh as she closes the door behind them. They immediately head up the stairs toward Nicole’s room. “Look, I’ll gladly spend my birthday with you, but I really don’t need some huge birthday bash, that’s not really me. Besides, we just finally finished cleaning up all the confetti from New Years, I’m surprised Randy didn’t ground us for that,” she adds. 

“I never said it had to be huge!” Waverly reminds her as she follows her into her bedroom. “And we can have it at my place!” 

“You’re not gonna let this one go are you?” Nicole asked as she drops her backpack onto her bed and sits down next to it. 

Waverly gives her a slightly devilish grin and stands in front of her, wrapping her arms around the back of her neck. “I just want your birthday to be special,” she says, giving her some adorable puppy dog eyes.

Nicole can’t help but laugh. She lifts her hands to Waverly’s hips, pulling her closer to her body. “As long as I’m with you it’ll be special.” 

“Okay,” Waverly sighs like she’s finally giving in to what Nicole wants. “So no big party, but can I still plan something?” 

“If I say ‘yes’ will you let it go?” Nicole asks with a laugh. She knows her girlfriend well enough to know that she’s still going to do something for her for her birthday, so there’s not much sense in continuing to fight it. 

“Yes,” Waverly says, grin growing bigger on her face. 

“Okay, fine, no big party, but you can plan something,” Nicole finally agrees, pointing a finger in Waverly’s direction. 

“Yay!” The brunette squeals, hands flailing in the air in front of her. Nicole is confused when she sees Waverly turn on her heels toward the door. 

“Where are you going?” She asks, reaching out for her as if she is going to be able to pull her back. 

“To find Chrissy!” Waverly says as she pulls the door open to leave the room. 

“Why?” 

“To start planning!” The brunette says as if she should have known this already. Nicole laughs and lets out an audible sigh, dropping backwards until she’s laying flat on her back on the bed. 

______________

  
  


The party was planned for Saturday night at the Nedley house. Nicole wonders what they said to Randy to allow them to have another party at the house so soon after the New Year’s party, but Nicole is pretty sure that Waverly can convince anyone of anything so she’s sure she had a lot to do with it. Waverly tells her that it’s still partially a surprise so she can’t be around when they’re setting up. But she does assure her again that it’s not going to be a huge party. 

Nicole agrees to stay upstairs while they set up the party in the basement. She’s never been much for surprise parties, but she knows that it makes Waverly happy, therefore, she’s happy too. Although her idea of a birthday is more like spending the day wrapped up in Waverly’s arms, not worrying about anyone else. Maybe that’s what she’ll get to do on her actual birthday. 

When it’s getting close to the time of the party, Nicole decides she should probably get up and shower. She still hasn’t seen Chrissy or Waverly in a couple of hours even though they’re in the same house as her. It’s still mind blowing to her that someone can be in the same house as her and she doesn’t even know it. 

She picks out clothes to wear, ones that she knows Waverly will like, before making her way into the bathroom to shower. While she showers, she can’t help but think about the fact that Waverly and Chrissy are going out of their way to make sure she has a great birthday. 

She may have been a little bitter about the idea of a party, but she does appreciate the fact that they would take the time to make sure she has a fun birthday. She doesn’t remember a time when anyone else put forth this much effort for her, ever. 

When she makes it back into her room after her shower, she jumps at the sight of her girlfriend in her room waiting for her. 

“Waves!” Nicole says, shocked to see her. “You scared me.” 

“Sorry,” Waverly says softly. She offers her a smile and stands from her seat on the bed. “We’re done setting up and I figured I’d come see how you’re doing up here.” 

“I was mostly laying down,” Nicole admits with a laugh. “But figured I’d shower and get ready for this birthday bash you have planned for me,” she adds with a wink. 

“Not a bash,” Waverly reminds her. “I obeyed your requests,” she says, returning the wink. Nicole smiles and makes her way over to her girlfriend, immediately wrapping her arms around her. 

“I love you,” she whispers before pressing a hard kiss against the brunette’s lips. When they pull away, Nicole presses her forehead against Waverly’s, not wanting to be apart from her quite yet. 

Waverly doesn’t seem to mind the closeness. Her arms glide smoothly around Nicole’s sides, as she replies, “I love you, too.”

“Thank you,” Nicole says. 

“For what?” The brunette is slightly confused. 

“For making my birthday perfect,” the redhead says with a smile. 

“It’s not even your birthday yet,” Waverly laughs. “And you haven’t even made it to the party yet!” 

“I know, but I just want you to know how much I appreciate everything you’re doing. No one has ever gone out of their way to make me feel as special as you do and I really am thankful for that.” 

Waverly catches her off guard when she squeals and jumps in the air, wrapping herself around Nicole's body. Her hands clasp right around the redhead’s neck, legs around her waist and Nicole instinctively wrap her arms around Waverly’s middle, holding her close to her body. She can’t help but laugh as the brunette is suddenly hanging from her like a spider monkey. 

“Baby, I just want to make you as happy as you make me,” Waverly tells her. 

“Well, I think you’re doing a pretty good job,” the redhead reminds her. 

She catches a glimpse of Waverly’s smile before their lips meet again. The kiss is a little deeper than the last, but Nicole tries to control herself so she doesn’t make them later to the party than they probably already are. 

“I know things have been pretty complicated,” Waverly says. “But I’m truly sorry for everything I put you through,” she says as she jumps back down toward the ground, feet landing hard against the floor. 

Nicole pauses for a moment. She feels a slight pain in her chest at the thought of Ward at her house when they got home from the city. The thought of Waverly leaving her, thinking that it was for the best, leaving Nicole to think that she was exactly what everyone said she was. 

She quickly pushes the thoughts out of her head to the best of her ability. She looks at the brunette standing in front of her. She feels her arms wrapped around her, hazel eyes looking up at her. She thinks about how nothing has ever felt this right, how no one has ever made her feel quite like Waverly does, how she can’t picture her life without her and if she tries all she feels is pain. 

She knows they’re young, and it’s scary, but she knows what she feels for the girl standing in front of her. She knows it’s real and no one is going to tell her otherwise. 

She slides her hand against Waverly’s cheek, leaning in for a kiss. It’s soft and sweet. She feels the brunette smile into the kiss. When they pull away, Nicole presses her forehead against Waverly’s again. 

“All that matters is we’re here now,” she tells her. “And we should probably get down to this party soon,” she laughs. 

“Yes!” Waverly says quickly, pulling a little further away from the redhead. She stops for a moment, looking her up and down.

Nicole looks down at herself, reevaluating her choice in outfits for a second. She’s donning a royal blue button down with tiny, white polka dots and her signature dark washed skinny jeans. Simple, but a little more dressed up than the usual flannel or hoodie she tends to wear almost daily. 

“Do I look okay?” She asks, breaking the silence. 

Waverly quickly nods, smiling big. “Baby, you look hot,” she says, pressing her hands against the redhead’s stomach. “I made you a little wrinkly,” she says, apologetically as she smooths her hands down the front of Nicole’s shirt.

Nicole shrugs. “It’s okay,” she says, looking back up at Waverly. 

“But you still look good,” Waverly says with a wink. Nicole feels her cheeks grow warm with blush. 

She’s never really tried to dress to impress anyone before. In fact, she never really cared what she wore. But she knows Waverly thinks she looks good in blue, something the brunette had nonchalantly mentioned a few times long before they were even dating. It was something Nicole took quick note of and found herself gravitating toward wearing blue as often as she could, hoping Waverly might notice. 

“Right back at you,” Nicole says, looking her girlfriend up and down in a rather dramatic way. The brunette laughs and pushes her playfully. 

“Alright,” Waverly says with a laugh. “Let’s get you to your party.” Nicole nods as the brunette pulls her by the hand toward the door. “I hope you like it,” she adds with a smile in Nicole’s direction. 

When they get to the basement door, Nicole sees Chrissy waiting for them, waving a blindfold in the air in front of her. Nicole looks at her girlfriend, confused, but continues getting pulled by her until they make their way over to Chrissy. 

“Man, I thought I was going to have to come looking for you two,” Chrissy huffs, pushing the blindfold out toward Waverly. 

“Sorry, we were talking,” Waverly apologizes to her friend. She takes the blindfold from Chrissy, smiling at Nicole. Nicole gives her a weary look. 

“Talking. Sure,” the blonde retorts. 

“We do that, remember?” Waverly huffs. Chrissy laughs and shakes her head at her friend. 

“What’s with the blindfold?” Nicole says, attempting to understand what’s going on. 

“Your girlfriend’s idea,” Chrissy says quickly, putting her hands up in front of her. 

“Are my fantasies about to come true?” Nicole teases, shooting Waverly a wink. 

“I don’t want to know what kind of fantasies you have that include me holding a blindfold,” Chrissy says, snorting out a laugh.

“It doesn’t have to involve you,” Nicole smirks. 

“Ew,” Chrissy says as she turns toward the basement door. “Let’s go.” She gestures toward the pair to follow her downstairs. 

Waverly shakes her head at Chrissy before gesturing to Nicole. “Turn around.” 

Nicole reluctantly turns around, going along with whatever Waverly has planned. She bends her knees a little to make it easier for the brunette to reach over her head as she places the blindfold carefully over her eyes. She feels Waverly tap her playfully on the ass, making her laugh. 

“Okay,” Waverly says. Nicole feels the brunette’s hand slide into hers, squeezing slightly, letting her know she’s got her. “Follow me.” 

Nicole nods as she hears the basement door open. She uses her free hand on the wall to help guide her as she takes each step slowly, Waverly talking her through each one. 

“Okay, one more and you’re on the ground,” the brunette informs her. 

Nicole takes the last step, planting both feet firmly on the basement floor. Although her eyes are still covered, she can tell that it’s much darker down there than it was upstairs. She’s a little uneasy about standing in a dark basement with a blindfold over her eyes, but finds comfort in Waverly still holding her hand. 

Suddenly she feels the brunette let go over her hand, but quickly moves her hands up to remove the blindfold. Nicole tries to adjust her eyes to the dark room, but still can’t see anything. 

When the lights turn on, she hears, “Surprise!”

Her eyes widen when she sees a room full of her friends. She looks around to see that it’s not only her friends from Purgatory, but her friends from the city as well. 

“You did this for me?” She asks, turning to Waverly. She can’t help but smile at the brunette who is lit up like a ray of sunshine. 

“I know you didn’t want anything big, but I figured you’d at least want to celebrate with your friends,” Waverly says. 

“Baby, you’re amazing,” Nicole says in a hushed tone as she wraps her arms around her girlfriend. Waverly pushes up and presses a kiss against her lips. 

“Okay, you two,” Chrissy says, pulling them apart. “Why don’t you mingle,” she teases, causing Nicole to laugh. 

The redhead nods and makes her way around the room to see her friends. She sees Mattie and Greta standing together near Robin and Jeremy. She can’t help but smile at the sight of her two worlds colliding with all of her favorite people together in one room. 

She makes her way over to the group, giving her friends a hug, one at a time. She turns to see Charlie making his way over to her, a huge smile on his face. Nicole opens her arms to him, pulling him in for an embrace. 

“Happy birthday, Haught,” he says before they pull away. 

“Thanks for coming, guys,” Nicole says, a smile still plastered on her face. 

As she turns a little more she sees Rosita and Wynonna standing together a little further away from the group. Her eyes light up at the sight. She misses hanging out with Wynonna as often as she used to, before she got pregnant. 

She laughs when she sees Waverly give her sister a warning look, gesturing toward the red cup in her hand. She reads Wynonna’s lips telling her it’s just soda but watches as Waverly smells it anyway. 

“Want a drink?” A voice comes from behind her. She turns on her heel, a little surprised to see a blonde, with bright blue eyes looking back at her. A familiar face, wearing an unfamiliar expression. 

“Why do you look nervous?” Nicole asks quickly as she takes the drink from Eliza. “And thanks,” she says quickly. 

She has to admit, she’s a bit surprised to see her ex girlfriend at her birthday party that her current girlfriend is throwing her. But at the same time, she finds comfort in all the familiar faces. After all, these are the people she’s celebrated her birthday with for years. 

“I don’t get nervous,” the blonde retorts, a smirk quickly growing on her face. Nicole laughs and rolls her eyes, knowing that statement is entirely not true.

Music starts bumping through the room and Nicole sees conversations start back up around her. She makes her way over to Waverly, taking her hands in her own. Bringing one of Waverly’s hands to her face, she places a soft kiss across her knuckles. Waverly smiles back at her. 

“Thank you,” Nicole says. 

“It’s not too much?” Waverly asks, reluctantly. 

Nicole shakes her head. “Not at all!” 

“And Eliza?” 

Nicole watches Waverly cringe a little as if she expects the redhead to be upset with her for inviting her ex to the party.

“If I’m being honest, it’s a little weird,” Nicole admits. Waverly’s face drops a little. “But only because it’s been so long since I’ve truly hung out with her and things are so different, you know?” She tries to explain. 

Waverly nods. 

“Hey, as long as I have you, I don’t care who else is here,” Nicole assures her. She places a finger under Waverly’s chin, lifting her head until they’re making eye contact. “I love you,” she says as she leans in, pressing a soft kiss against the brunette’s lips. 

“I love you,” Waverly says with a soft smile. 

“Awe, I love you both too,” Wynonna’s voice echoes through their personal space, breaking them from their moment. The older Earp wraps her arms around both Waverly and Nicole’s necks, pulling them close to her. “Happy birthday, Haught potato!” 

“Thanks, Wynonna,” Nicole grunts as she tries to break free from the headlock she’s been put in. 

She continues chatting idly with Wynonna, as she gulps down more of the drink in her hand. She glances around the room, noticing everyone mingling with each other as if they’ve known each other for years. 

“Nicole, back me up here!” Charlie’s voice comes from across the room. 

Nicole turns and laughs when she sees the desperate look her friend is giving her. “What?” She asks. She notices Chrissy looking back at him, giving him a look.

“Tell them about the time I did that naked lap around the building when I lost beer pong!” Charlie whines.

“You know, Charlie, I really try to block that night out,” Nicole says as she starts making her way over to them. 

“But it happened!” Charlie says, pointing a finger toward the redhead. 

“Unfortunately,” Nicole says. Chrissy’s eyes widen at the realization that the boy is telling the truth, laughter pouring out of her. 

“Where the hell was I?” Mattie asks. 

“Probably making out with someone somewhere,” Gretta calls out to her, causing more laughter over the group. Nicole notices how her friends from Purgatory are all laughing and listening to the ridiculous stories being told as well. 

“That doesn’t sound like me,” Mattie retorts. 

“That sounds exactly like you!” Charlie argues, pointing a finger in her direction. 

“Please, don’t act like you weren’t one of the ones she’d be in the corner with!” Gretta calls him out. His cheeks turn red with embarrassment, but he nods his head in agreeance. 

“Man, Haught, why didn’t you introduce me to these people earlier?” Wynonna asks, snorting out a laugh. She elbows Nicole in the side, causing the redhead to grab her ribs in slight pain. “And you bring that hot piece of meat in for Chrissy? What the hell?”

“Wynonna!” Waverly yells, slapping her sister on the arm. 

“Aren’t you taken?” Nicole asks, bringing her attention back toward the older Earp.

“I guess,” she shrugs 

“Wynonna!” Waverly yells again. 

“Oh, chill, Waves,” the older brunette huffs. “Not everyone finds their soulmate at 17.”

“Well, you’re not 17 anymore and you’re having a child with the man,” Waverly reminds her. 

“Technicalities,” Wynonna says, rolling her eyes. Nicole laughs at the interaction between the two sisters. 

“You’re ridiculous,” Waverly groans. 

Nicole laughs again at the sisters’ banter before turning her direction back toward the rest of her friends from the city as they continue to tell stories about the past. 

“And do you remember that time we all tried to throw an after party at the center one year?” Eliza reminisces. 

“How does that work?” Chrissy asks. 

“We decided we were going to use the place for a party spot after they closed it up for the night,” Charlie explains. 

“So Mattie stole a key,” Gretta adds 

“That was definitely Gretta!” Mattie argues. 

“It definitely was not!” Gretta responds with a laugh. 

“Anyway, we had a key and we snuck up to the roof to party,” Charlie continues to explain, ignoring the twins’ argument. 

“Eliza brought the booze,” Nicole reminds them. 

“I’ll still never know how you got that keg up there,” Gretta laughs.

“I have my ways, my friend,” Eliza tells her, adding a wink. 

“But then we got really drunk and Nicole thought it would be funny to drop water balloons over the roof while people were walking by,” Mattie continues telling the story. 

Nicole catches the surprised look on Waverly’s face. She’s not sure why she’s still surprised that she would do something like that when she knows other things she’s done in the past. 

“I mean it was funny, but was Charlie’s idea,” Nicole tries to tell everyone. 

“You started it!” Charlie argues, causing the group to laugh. 

“Yeah, but I didn’t drop one on Juan Carlo!” Nicole says.

“How was I supposed to know he forgot something at the center?” Charlie asks 

“Man, I’m surprised he let us back in after that!” Gretta laughs

“He loves us,” Eliza adds with confidence.

“Man, Haught, you’ve sure mellowed out since you’ve moved here,” Wynonna huffs like she’s disappointed that Nicole has been on her best behavior since she was sentenced to probation and forced to move to a new town. 

“I’m on probation,” Nicole reminds her.

“The first time we met her she got drunk with us under the bleachers at a football game!” Rosita tries to defend her.

“That’s amateur stuff,” Wynonna huffs. Nicole laughs and shakes her head at the older Earp. 

“Well, now those days are long behind us,” Nicole says with a wink, gesturing toward Wynonna’s stomach, receiving the brunette’s middle finger in response. 

“So Nicole, are you coming back to the city next weekend?” Eliza asks. 

“Haven’t really planned it,” Nicole responds, nonchalantly. She knows why she’s asking, and honestly it was something she was trying to forget. She feels bad, but she was ready to move on from old traditions in order to move forward in the life she’s beginning to enjoy. 

“Why next weekend?” Waverly asks. 

“My dad's birthday,” Nicole tells her. She tries to brush it off like it’s not a big deal, but in reality, she’s visited her dad’s grave every year since he died, regardless of the weather or anything else that could get in her way. 

“Oh come on, you never miss it!” Eliza calls out. 

“You didn’t tell me that,” Waverly says in a more hushed tone. Nicole feels her shift on the couch next to her like she’s suddenly uncomfortable. 

“It’s not important,” Nicole tries to shrug it off. She takes a drink from the cup in her hand, alcohol burning down her throat. 

“Obviously it is if you go every year,” Waverly huffs. 

“Can we talk about this later?” Nicole asks, feeling a bit uncomfortable herself, not wanting to have an argument in a room full of their friends. 

Waverly nods and Nicole breathes a sigh of relief. She looks around the room, noticing the awkward stares coming from the rest of the party goers. 

“Who wants to play a game?” Chrissy asks, quickly. 

“Strip poker?” Rosita suggestions. There’s a mostly unanimous groan that comes over the room, except for Wynonna’s cheer as she high fives Rosita. 

Nicole laughs at the pair and shakes her head. Chrissy starts listing off games that they have, which is way more than Nicole was even aware of. After a few minutes of deliberating, the group decides on ‘Cards Against Humanity.’ 

After a round of refills on their drinks, the group sits around the table as Chrissy sets up the game. Nicole takes a seat between Waverly and Robin while everyone else fills in around them. She looks up, noticing Eliza is sitting directly across from her. She still thinks it’s a little awkward to have her ex girlfriend at a party being thrown by her current girlfriend, but she tries to just be grateful for the effort Waverly has made to make her birthday great. 

Nicole places her hand on Waverly’s leg, giving it a squeeze. The brunette turns her head to look at her and smiles. 

“Are you having fun?” Waverly asks in a hushed tone, leaning in a little further toward Nicole. 

“I am,” the redhead replies. “Thanks for doing all of this.” 

“Anything for you,” Waverly says, sweetly. “But you’re sure you’re okay? You seem like something’s bothering you.”

“I’m good,” Nicole insists. “It’s just weird that everyone is here to celebrate me, you know? Birthdays have never really been my thing, well, not my birthday.” 

“You deserve to be celebrated everyday,” Waverly says, almost in a whisper.

Nicole can’t help but smile back at the brunette. Part of her has still been feeling a little uneasy about how quickly they broke up and got back together. She doesn’t like to admit it, but she’s afraid it could happen again and she’s not prepared for that. But another part of her wants to just let all her walls back down because she loves Waverly with every fiber of her being and she doesn’t want to do anything to push her away. 

“Thanks, baby,” Nicole says.

Waverly leans in and kisses Nicole on the cheek, receiving a bunch of “awes” from the rest of their friends. Nicole feels her cheeks become warm and she looks up to see Eliza staring back at her. She quickly turns her eyes to look at anyone else. 

The game begins and drinks continue to flow. Nicole finds herself relaxing a bit more as the game goes on, feeling more comfortable about everyone being there to celebrate her. 

Laughs fill the room as people play cards with really messed up things on them. Most of the time the most ridiculous answer wins. When Nicole’s turn comes back around to play the black card, she reads it and sets it down on the table in front of her, waiting for her friends to play their white cards before she picks a winner. 

As she reads through the white cards, laughter continues to fill the room. 

“Damn, these are good,” Nicole says with a laugh as she tries to decide which one is the winner. She flips over a few cards that she isn’t going to choose, making it easier to see her favorite ones .

“Damnit!” Waverly huffs. 

Nicole turns toward her. “Did I flip yours?” Waverly gives her a pouty lip, causing Nicole to laugh. “Sorry,” she says, apologetically. Waverly laughs and gives her a wink. 

“Just pick one!” Gretta groans from across the table. 

“Let the woman think!” Mattie tells her sister. 

“So I take it that out of these three cards, two of them are from you two,” Nicole laughs as she looks up at the two girls. They both start to laugh, shaking their heads. “Okay, fine, this one,” she says, picking up the winning card and holding it out for everyone to see. 

“Yes!” Eliza cheers and she stands to grab the card from Nicole’s hand. 

“How do I choose your card every time?!” Nicole groans as she hands the card over to the blonde. 

“Oh come on, Nicole, you know I know you and how you think,” Eliza teases. 

“Sure, Eliza,” Nicole says with a laugh.

“Let’s be real, I probably know more secrets about you than anyone else in this room, except maybe Charlie because he was there for most of them,” Eliza snorts out a laugh. “And he’s been in love with you too.” 

Silence falls over the group and Nicole feels the color drain from her face. She looks over Charlie who is giving the blonde a look that reads both anger and complete shock that she just said that out loud. She turns toward Waverly, who is staring down at the cards in front of her. She’s not sure what to say. 

“I mean-” Eliza cringes as she tries to backtrack, realizing what she just said. 

“Man, who wants some more alcohol?” Wynonna calls out, trying to ease some of the tension. 

Nicole pushes her hands against the table, sliding her chair back as she stands up. “I’m just gonna take a breather,” she says as she gestures over her shoulder. 

“I’ll come with you,” Waverly says as she finally looks toward Nicole. 

Nicole quickly shakes her head. “I really just need to be alone for a minute,” she tells her as she places her hand on the brunette’s shoulder for a moment before she turns to leave the room. 

“I’m really sorry, I just got caught up in the moment,” she hears Eliza say as she heads toward the basement stairs. 

“I know,” Waverly says back to her before Nicole is too far away to hear what else is said. 


	24. Chapter 24

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for being patient with me! I hope you all enjoy the end of Nicole’s birthday party 🥳

When she reaches the top of the stairs, Nicole heads for the back of the house. Sliding the door open, she steps out into the chill of the night. She internally kicks herself for not grabbing a jacket, but all she could think about was her lungs screaming for fresh air. 

Just when she thought she was getting more comfortable with the idea of her past, present and hopefully future colliding with each other, one comment tips her over the edge. She takes a deep breath of fresh air, trying to calm herself down. There’s something extremely peaceful about the night sky, full of stars as far as the eye can see. She knows she won't be alone for long, so she enjoys it while she can.

The sound of the sliding door comes from behind her after a few moments. She pauses as she hears the door being pushed closed behind whoever has just joined her outside. She turns to see Eliza giving her an apologetic look as she takes another step toward Nicole. 

“You’re not exactly who I expected to be out here first,” Nicole admits as she turns back toward the direction she was previously looking, taking in another view of the stars. 

“I heard there was a sweet view out here,” Eliza says as she makes her way next to Nicole. Nicole briefly turns her head toward the blonde, shaking her head at her. “Don’t be mad at her for inviting me,” Eliza says. “I’m the one who doesn’t know when to shut up.” 

“I’m not mad at her,” Nicole says quickly. She turns to make eye contact again. “This is just…” she trails off. “Nothing. Never mind.”

“Okay, Haught, don’t do that,” Eliza says.

“Do what?” Nicole huffs.

“That thing you do. Where you want to say something but you think you’re going to be a burden to someone or hurt someone’s feelings, so you just bury it for the sake of others. Give it to me. I deserve it,” the blonde says.

Nicole pauses and thinks about what she’s going to say. She doesn’t want to admit that Eliza is right, that she does know her pretty well. But that part of her life is over, she’s moved on.

“I get why you’re here,” Nicole begins. “I get why Waverly invited you here. But this, you, it’s a lot right now.”

She pauses again. Eliza doesn’t speak. She turns toward Nicole, giving her her full attention, allowing her to continue speaking. 

“I didn’t think I’d ever see you again, Eliza. Before that accidental run in in the city,” she adds. “And that broke me. For a long time, I was in pieces because I thought my world was over. The one person I thought wasn’t actually going to leave me, left. And I get it, trust me, I get it more than probably anyone else in the world. But it didn’t make it hurt any less.”

“I should have called, or written sooner,” Eliza tells her. 

“You know what’s funny? You’re sort of the reason I even ended up out here. If you were still around, I’d probably still be reckless, but in a much different way,” Nicole says with a laugh.

“We were pretty reckless, weren’t we?” Eliza Laughs. 

“It feels like a lifetime ago.” The redhead turns back toward the stars, letting out an audible sigh. 

“Well, a lot has happened since I left,” Eliza says as she gestures around her. 

“It’s a little weird, huh?” Nicole asks. She thinks about how she never, in a million years, thought she’d ever live in a house or a town like this. 

“It’s a lot weird,” Eliza says with a laugh. “I’m not going to lie, when I first got the invite, I wasn’t going to come. I didn’t really want to see you with your gorgeous girlfriend in your new fancy life. I thought if I didn’t see it, I could pretend to still live in the past. But that’s something I’ve never done before.” 

“That’s something I always admired about you,” Nicole says as she looks back toward Eliza. “You would always tell me ‘if you’re constantly looking behind you...’” 

“You’re going to crash into what’s in front of you,” Eliza finishes her sentence. 

“And break your nose,” Nicole adds with a laugh as she points a finger toward the blonde. 

Eliza breaks out into laughter, nodding in agreeance. Silence falls over them for a moment. 

“That girl in there loves you more than I ever could,” Eliza finally speaks. “And it’s not that I didn’t love you or don’t love you. Because let’s face it, part of me always will, but I was never going to be able to give you everything you needed. Everything you deserved. And it’s okay that you don’t want me to anymore.”

Nicole pauses for a moment before she speaks. She lets her brain absorb the words that are being spoken to her. “Thank you. I probably needed to hear that more than I know.” 

“I see the way that girl looks at you, Haught. From the moment I met her in the city. You got yourself a good one.” 

“Yeah, I’m not sure why she’s with me,” Nicole says, laughing off her own comment. 

“Don’t do that. You’re Nicole Haught. You’re an incredible person who loves with every fiber of her being and deserves that in return,” the blonde says. 

“Not everything happens the way we think it should, Eliza,” Nicole argues. 

“What are you so afraid of, Nicole?”

“I’m not afraid of anything,” Nicole answers quickly. 

“I may be wrong about knowing you better than everyone else in that house, but we both know I know you well enough to know you have fears just like everyone else,” the blonde explains. “Whether or not you think you’ve made this big change since I left, I can still see right through the facade.” 

Nicole sighs and rubs her face with her hands. “I’m afraid I’m never going to be good enough,” she reluctantly admits. “That something better will always come along or something will always stand in the way.”

“Look, I don’t know much about your relationship with Waverly, but from what I see, she’s good for you. I suggest you get out of that head of yours and be open with her,” Eliza says, poking Nicole in the middle of the forehead with her finger. Nicole laughs, nodding her head at the other girl. 

The sound of the back door sliding open fills her ears and they turn to see Waverly sanding in the doorway. 

“Speaking of,” Eliza says, gesturing toward the brunette. She smiles at Nicole and turns to head back in the house, allowing the pair time alone. 

Nicole sees Waverly mouth ‘thank you’ as the blonde passes her, going back into the house. 

“Are you okay?” Waverly asks as she makes her way over to Nicole. Nicole immediately places her hands on Waverly’s hips, reducing the space between them. 

“Yeah, sorry I just needed some fresh air,” she explains. “I’m sorry if things are a little awkward. Eliza was just out here apologizing to me. She-”

“I know,” Waverly says quickly. “She asked me if I could give her a minute with you. I’m sorry if you didn’t want her here,” she says. “I was just trying to bring the most important people in your life here for you.”

“I know and you didn’t do anything wrong,” Nicole assures her. “Birthdays are weird for me. There were a few years where I didn’t know if I’d even make it to the next, you know? Or where I’d be, who I’d be with. It mostly just meant a new year of changes that I didn’t want to keep having to deal with. I always thought when I turned 18 I’d be completely on my own to figure it all out. I thought I’d age out of the system and no one would be around to help anymore. But then I moved here and it’s the first time I’ve felt like I’ve had a stable place to call home for as long as I can remember. And as strange as it sounds, that’s a lot to swallow some days.” 

“I didn’t realize it was so much on you,” Waverly says as she wraps her arms tighter around Nicole’s middle. The redhead soaks in the warmth of the brunette’s body against her own.

“Because I didn’t tell you all of that,” Nicole explains. “These past few weeks have been amazing. You’re amazing and you’ve done so much to make changes that you needed to make for yourself and to prove to me that you’re fighting for me. But they’ve also been terrifying in a way because part of me can’t shake the feeling that I might never be enough for anyone.”

“You’re the most amazing person I’ve ever met,” Waverly says. “Just don’t tell Chrissy that,” she adds with a wink causing Nicole to laugh. “And I know you’ve been through more than I could ever even try to imagine in 18 years. But I hope you hear me when I tell you that you are enough.” She places her hand over Nicole’s heart. “And if I have to tell you that everyday for the rest of your life then I will.” 

“You want me for that long?” Nicole asks, a smirk appearing on her face at the thought of being able to spend the rest of her life with Waverly. 

“Nicole, I haven’t been interested in a life without you since the day I tried to trade you in for a different history partner,” Waverly says with a small laugh. 

“You have a strange way of deciding on forever,” Nicole teases. 

“Usually I just flip a coin,” she says with a shrug. 

“I don’t want you to think I don’t trust you, I just get in my head about things,” Nicole explains. 

“I know that,” Waverly replies. “Even if I haven’t known you for as long as some of your friends, doesn’t mean I don’t know you, Nicole. Sure, I’m still learning new things about you, but that’s the fun part. I never want to stop learning.”

“Because you’re a nerd?” Nicole teases.

Waverly scoffs and playfully pushes Nicole. “Way to ruin a moment,” she jokes. “But no,” she continues. “Because I love you.” 

Nicole tilts her head down a little further toward the brunette, who is looking up toward her. A smile grows on Waverly’s face, she’s glowing under the night sky. Nicole leans in, pressing a soft kiss against the brunette’s lips. 

“I love you,” Nicole whispers as she pulls away slowly. “And I never want to stop learning either.” 

Waverly grins and burrows her face into Nicole’s chest. The redhead takes the opportunity to pull her closer to her body, enveloping her in her arms. She rests her chin on Waverly’s head, enjoying the silence of the moment as she continues to watch the stars. 

After standing in silence for a few moments, the pair decides they should probably get back inside before they’re missed, or worse, catch hypothermia. As they make their way inside, the sound of music and Wynonna’s voice fills their ears. 

“Oh god,” Waverly huffs. 

“What do you think she’s doing?” Nicole asks as she leads the brunette toward the basement door. 

“She’s definitely singing karaoke,” the brunette groans. Nicole can’t help but laugh. Wynonna is the only one completely sober at this party and she seems to be having the time of her life. She quickly stifles her laugh when she sees the unamused look on Waverly’s face. 

“Oh come on, Waves,” Nicole says. “She’s keeping the crowd entertained,” she laughs. 

As they reach the bottom of the stairs, the song comes to an end and apparently so does Wynonna’s singing. Nicole is slightly relieved, so she doesn’t have to watch her girlfriend become embarrassed by her older sister, but deep down she found it entertaining. 

“Everything good?” Chrissy asks as she quickly makes her way up to Nicole and Waverly.

“Everything’s great,” Nicole says with a smile. She’s still grasping onto Waverly’s hand as they make their way further into the basement. 

She notices some of the group continued to play the game at the table while Wynonna clearly found her own form of entertainment. 

“You missed my singing debut,” the older Earp huffs. 

“Damn,” Nicole groans. “You’ll have to do it again later,” she adds with a wink. 

“No!” Waverly groans, slapping Nicole’s arm with her free hand. “Should we keep playing the game?” 

“I’m only joking,” Nicole tells her. Waverly gives her a warning look as they return to the table. 

“Who wants to play never have I ever instead?” Chrissy asks as she takes a seat next to Waverly. 

“I’m going to need more booze for that,” Mattie calls out as she stands from her seat.

The rest of the group agrees and makes their way over for refills before deciding to sit down on the couches, rather than back at the table. As they make their way over toward the couches, Nicole pulls Eliza to the side for a moment. 

“Hey, I just wanted to say thanks,” she says. 

“No need to thank me,” Eliza assures her as she takes a sip of the drink in her hand. 

“You talked some sense into me. You’ve always been good at that,” Nicole says. 

“I guess if we’re going to do this friends thing, I need to keep up with my advice game,” the blonde retorts with a laugh. 

“It’s pretty good,” Nicole assures her. “Ready for never have I ever?”

“This should be interesting,” Eliza laughs. “I’ll keep my comments to myself this time,” she adds with a wink. 

“Good,” Nicole laughs. She takes a seat next to Waverly on the couch, draping her arm over the brunette’s shoulder. It’s not long before the game begins.

“Never have I ever, kissed someone of the same sex,” Charlie says with a grin on his face. 

The group groans. “Oh come on!” Mattie whines. 

“Cheap shot, when you know most of us have,” Eliza says with a laugh. 

“It’s not my fault you all make out with each other!” Charlie says. 

“Made out,” Eliza corrects him. “We don’t continue to make out,” she laughs. 

“Whatever,” Charlie huffs. 

“Chrissy, you have?” Nicole asks as she sees the blonde take a sip from her cup. 

“Yeah, Waverly,” Chrissy says, nonchalantly. Nicole’s eyes widen at the confession, but at the same time, she’s not surprised. 

“Just once!” Waverly adds quickly. 

“My turn!” Jeremy calls out. “Never have I ever kissed anyone of the opposite sex,” he says with a proud grin on his face.

“Wow, okay,” Robin huffs, glaring at Jeremy for a moment as he takes a sip of his drink. 

Jeremy starts to laugh as he shrugs his shoulders. “Sorry, it’s part of the game,” he says. 

“Never have I ever dated a friend’s ex,” Mattie says as she scans the room, waiting for people to drink. 

“Eliza, drink!” Charlie yells, pointing a finger in her direction. 

“I’m not sure that counts as dating,” she laughs, taking a sip of her drink anyway. 

Nicole laughs and shakes her head. It’s been a while since she’s spent time with these people like this and she can definitely say that she missed it. She expects her friends from Purgatory to be a little confused at some of the comments and stories being told, but instead they mostly just laugh and go along with it. 

“Never have I ever driven a car,” Nicole says. 

“Still?” Eliza asks, shocked.

Nicole shakes her head. It’s not that she never wanted to learn to drive, even if it slightly terrifies her, she just never really had the opportunity. She thinks if she grew up in a town like Purgatory that would be different, but growing up in the city, she never really found it necessary. 

“We’ll change that,” Waverly says as she takes a drink from the cup in her hand. 

Nicole turns toward her girlfriend and raises an eyebrow to her. “Oh yeah?” 

“I can teach you,” the brunette says with confidence. 

“I think you’d be more of a distraction,” Nicole says with a laugh. 

“Okay, you two,” Gretta teases.

“Better stop before they need to get a room,” Chrissy laughs. Waverly shoots her a dirty look, causing Nicole to laugh. 

“Chrissy,” Waverly warns. 

Chrissy gives her an innocent look. “Who’s next?” She asks the room, changing the subject. 

“Never have I ever cheated on a test,” Robin shoots out, quickly. Mostly everyone else drinks, with the exception of Jeremy. 

“Waverly?!” Jeremy asks, shocked. 

Waverly cringes as all eyes turn toward her. “It was one time!” She explains. “I didn’t have a chance to study,” she pouts. 

Nicole leans in and kisses her on the cheek. “My little rebel,” she whispers, causing the brunette to smile. 

“Tell them when that was,” Chrissy challenges. 

“Fifth grade,” Waverly replies, reluctantly. “Still counts,” she huffs, laughter filling the room. 

“Okay, okay, you want a good story?” Eliza asks. “Never have I ever been electrocuted.” She looks directly at Charlie. 

“Wow, now you’re just coming for me,” Charlie says, putting his hands in the air. 

“What the hell?” Chrissy asks, turning toward the boy she’s sitting next to. Nicole notices that she’s not sitting with her legs draped over his. 

“Look, when you’re dared to touch an electric fence, you do it,” Charlie says with a laugh. 

“Or you don’t,” Gretta adds.

Nicole laughs at the memory. She notices her friends from Purgatory giving more shocked looks than the ones from the city. She assumes it’s mostly because they were the ones that dared him in the first place. 

“Sometimes you dare people to do weird things when you’re bored,” Nicole says with a laugh. 

As the game goes on, the more the alcohol flows. Nicole finds herself feeling pretty buzzed and a lot more relaxed than she was at the beginning of the party. She laughs at Wynonna’s participation in the drinking drinking game, regardless of being completely sober. She appreciates her coming to celebrate her birthday with her. 

The game starts to fizzle out after a while and Nicole excuses herself to the bathroom. As she heads up the stairs, she hears footsteps coming behind her. She hopes it’s Waverly sneaking away for a quick make out session, but she’s a little disappointed to see its Rosita instead. Not that she doesn’t want to see her friend, but it’s not quite the same as her girlfriend. 

“Fun party,” Rosita says as she follows her up the stairs. 

“Are you two going to the bathroom without me?” Wynonna calls out after them as she makes her way to the top of the basement stairs as well. 

“I didn’t know this was a group event,” Nicole teases as she looks back at her friends. 

“Hey, I’ve barely gotten to see you all night!” Rosita protests. 

“And I have a baby making a waterbed out of my bladder,” Wynonna adds. “When I have to pee, I have to pee.” 

Nicole laughs. “First of all, you’ve seen me all night,” she says to Rosita. “And Wynonna, I still can’t get over the fact that you’re going to be a mother.” 

“This little girl isn’t going to know what hit her,” Wynonna says, rubbing her stomach with her hand. 

“She’s going to have a pretty cool mom,” Rosita says. 

“And some cool aunts,” Wynonna adds with a wink. 

Nicole can’t help but smile at the thought of being an aunt to Wynonna’s baby. She was one of the first people to make Nicole not feel so alone in this town and that means more to her than she’d ever be able to explain. “I can’t wait,” she says.

“Well, I can,” Wynonna laughs. “I still have some time before I have to actually be responsible.” 

“You’re doing a pretty good job of it so far,” Rosita tells her. 

“If you mean by not drinking,” Wynonna says. “It’s harder than it looks. But spending Haught stuff’s birthday with her is worth it.”

“Did you really come up here just to sweet talk me?” Nicole asks in a teasing tone. “What do you need from me?” 

“Geez, can’t a girl appreciate her friends?!” The older Earp huffs. 

“This girl is about to appreciate the fact that the two of you are distracted,” Rosita says as she quickly makes her way into the bathroom before the other two can. 

“Man, I’m really starting to question why I keep her around,” Wynonna huffs as she leans up against the wall next to the bathroom door. Nicole’s eyes widen at the comment but she lets out a small laugh.

“I can hear you, asshole!” Rosita’s voice comes booming through the bathroom door. Nicole starts to laugh louder, shaking her head at a guilty looking Wynonna. 

When they make their way back down into the basement, they see Waverly and Chrissy rearranging the furniture around where the tv is. Charlie and Robin are moving mattresses to the floor, while Jeremy is blowing up an air mattress. Waverly smiles up at her when she sees them coming. Nicole watches as Waverly moves in her direction, wrapping her arms around the redhead’s middle as soon as she’s close enough.

“Officially ending my birthday with a slumber party?” The redhead asks with a laugh. Waverly nods, tilting her head up toward Nicole, a smile growing on her face.

“Damn, Red Haught,” Wynonna snorts out a laugh. “Did you turn eight or eighteen?” 

Waverly turns and gives her sister a warning look. Nicole laughs at the pair and looks down toward her girlfriend. “So we don’t get alone time tonight?” she asks, in a more hushed tone, attempting not to allow too much disappointment in her tone. 

“I didn’t know that you wanted alone time tonight,” Waverly admits. 

Nicole squints her eyes a little, trying to get a better read on the brunette. “What do you mean?” she asks. “I always want alone time with you.”

“I don’t know,” Waverly says, shying away from her a little. Nicole reaches out for her, but the brunette moves out of her reach. She takes a step in her direction, not wanting to get into a fight in front of a group of their friends. 

“Waves,” she says, softly, reaching her hand out for the brunette. Waverly turns and looks at her. She looks like she has something to say, but she’s afraid. “Come upstairs with me?” Waverly nods and Nicole takes her by the hand, leading her the stairs. 

“Are you guys ditching us to-” Chrissy starts. 

Nicole quickly spins around before she makes it too far up the stairs. “Chrissy, please,” she says, a little more sternly that she meant it to be. “Shut up.”

Chrissy looks shocked, but some snickers fill the room. Waverly doesn’t yell at her for telling the blonde off, so she feels a little better about it. When Nicole reaches the top of the stairs, Waverly is waiting for her. 

“What’s going on?” Nicole asks, quickly, leading the brunette into the living room. Waverly plops down on one of the couches. Nicole is nervous, so she doesn’t sit down yet. 

“It’s stupid,” the brunette huffs. She’s not making eye contact with the redhead. Nicole takes a step closer to her, sitting down next to Waverly. She places a finger under the other girl’s chin, lifting it slightly until they’re making eye contact.

“It’s not stupid.”

“Okay,” Waverly reluctantly says. “Listen, Nicole,” she continues. “I know you’re starting to trust me again and even if you say you do, part of you deep down is still not fully there yet. And that’s fair. But I can’t be the only one trying.”

Nicole gives her a confused look. She had no idea that Waverly felt like she wasn’t trying. It’s not that she doesn’t want Waverly, or to be alone with her. In fact, she wants it more than the brunette probably knows. 

“You think I’m not trying?” Nicole asks. She’s still a little taken aback by the comment. 

“I mean, you are,” Waverly tries to correct herself. “But sometimes I could use a little more attention too,” she adds. She covers her hands with her face like she’s embarrassed by the statement. 

“So you want me to be all over you in front of all of our friends?” the redhead asks. “Every time I even look at you, Chrissy thinks we’re fucking!” She says, becoming defensive.

“Nicole,” Waverly says, calmly. Nicole takes a deep breath in through her nose, letting it out slowly. “I’ll talk to Chrissy,” the brunette says. “She needs to back off, I know. But I’m not saying you need to be all over me, I just need you to be a little more…” she pauses like she’s searching for the right words to say.

“You want more attention,” Nicole says, knowingly and calmer this time. Waverly nods. “Okay,” the redhead says. “I’m sorry.”

“Hey,” Waverly says. She places a hand on Nicole’s leg. “You don’t need to apologize, I just needed you to know how I feel.”

“Thank you,” Nicole says, placing her hand over the brunette’s lacing their fingers together. 

She brings Waverly’s hand to her mouth, placing a kiss across her knuckles. Waverly smiles and leans in toward the redhead, pressing a soft kiss on her lips. Pulling her closer, Nicole smoothly wraps her arms around Waverly, lifting her onto her lap as the kiss grows deeper. She feels Waverly smile into the kiss as she presses her hands flat against the brunette’s lower back, securing her onto her lap. 

As they continue to make out, Nicole allows her right hand to slide forward, grasping onto Waverly’s inner thigh. She shifts her hand up, allowing her fingers to tease the brunette. Waverly takes a sharp breath in, biting at Nicole’s bottom lip.

“Can I show you how much I want you?” Nicole husks out, eyes still closed, hand roaming, feeling Waverly’s hot breath against her lips. 

When she feels the brunette pull back slightly, she opens her eyes to see her nodding in response to her question. Wasting no time, the redhead presses her lips back against Waverly’s, hand moving quickly under her shirt and up her warm, bare skin.

“Should we go somewhere less...out in the open?” Waverly breathes out as Nicole’s hand finds her chest, brushing her fingertips lightly over her bra. 

Nicole lets out an audible groan, throwing her head back onto the back of the couch. Waverly takes the opportunity to press warm, wet kisses against the redhead’s exposed skin on her neck.

“Mm,” Nicole lets out a moan. “My room?” 

The brunette giggles and quickly climbs off of her lap. She reaches out her hand, pulling Nicole by the hand, helping her off of the couch as well. She feels a little weak in the knees and incredibly turned on as she slowly remembers how to walk.

They make their way up the stairs quickly, closing the door behind them as soon as they enter Nicole’s room. Nicole briefly thinks about the group of their friends in the basement, not wanting to leave them for long, but the thoughts quickly leave her head when she sees Waverly shed her own shirt from her body.

Nicole flashes her a dimpled smile, gesturing with one finger for her to come toward her. Waverly takes a few steps forward until she’s close enough for Nicole to wrap her arms around her. She immediately feels the brunette pulling at her belt, but all she can think about is touching the brunette. Nicole spins them around, leading the brunette backward toward the wall behind them, lips connected the entire time. 

Waverly stops fidgeting with Nicole’s belt when the redhead slides her hand down the soft skin on Waverly’s abs, feeling each muscle with her finger tips. She sucks a deep breath in, dipping her fingers just below the brunette’s waistline on her pants. She feels the brunette shift slightly, allowing her more access. 

She doesn’t waste time removing her pants before she slips her hand further south, fingers gliding between the brunette’s legs. A moan escapes Waverly’s lips, urging her to continue the movements. The redhead continues to rub circles with her fingers, feeling her girlfriend’s hands wrap around her back, nails scratching at her skin above her shirt. 

Their lips separate when Waverly tilts her head back against the wall, arching her back, hips pushing further into Nicole’s hand. Nicole starts to press kisses down the brunette’s jawline, trailing down her neck, onto her collarbone. She feels Waverly’s hips begin to roll at a rhythm with her hand, she bites softly on the skin on the brunette’s collarbone, soothing it gently with her tongue. 

“Baby,” Waverly breathes out. 

Nicole takes the hint. She speeds up her movements with her hand, tongue continuing to trail across her hot skin. Another loud moan escapes from the brunette’s throat, indicating to Nicole that she was coming undone. The redhead continues her movements until she feels Waverly reach down, steadying her hand where it is. 

She feels Waverly collapse into her body and she uses her free hand to wrap it around her back, steadying her against the wall. The sound of the brunette’s breathing steadying fills her ears. After a few moments in silence, she slowly removes her hand, feeling Waverly shift a little, using her hands to straighten out her pants. 

  
Nicole leans in, pressing a hard kiss against Waverly’s lips. The brunette sighs, grinning from ear to ear when they pull away. “Now how about that slumber party,” she says with a wink.

Waverly laughs, continuing to smile at Nicole. “Okay,” she finally says. “But I’m stealing your clothes,” she adds as she makes her way toward Nicole’s closet. The redhead doesn’t protest. In fact, the sight of Waverly in her sweatpants makes her want to rip them off again. “Ready?” Waverly asks.

“You’re so hot,” Nicole spits out as she looks the brunette up and down. She places her hands firmly on Waverly’s hips, thumbs brushing lightly against her skin. 

“We can’t ditch your party,” Waverly warns with a wink, causing Nicole to laugh.

“I know, I know,” Nicole says with a slight whine. “Thank you again for all of this,” she adds as she wraps her arms around the brunette’s middle. “You’re seriously the best.”

“I know,” Waverly teases, giving her a wink. A few moments later, Waverly is dragging her back down the stairs toward the basement. “They’re either going to think we were fighting this entire time or that we snuck away for a quickie,” she says with a laugh as they reach the basement door. 

“Speaking of fighting,” Nicole says. “We’re good now, right?” She asks, wanting to be sure what just happened upstairs wasn’t a bandaid for the frustration Waverly had with her before. 

“We’re good,” Waverly says with a smile and a squeeze of Nicole’s hand. 

“Good,” Nicole says with a smile, following the brunette back into the basement. 

When they reach the bottom, they find the group all laying down watching movies together. Nicole can tell Waverly is relieved that Wynonna didn’t decide to sing another round of karaoke. 

“Damn, I thought you guys were going to ditch us for the rest of the night,” Charlie calls out as the pair make their way over to where the group is. 

“I wouldn’t want to miss out on my first slumber party!” Nicole says, enthusiastically. She notices some of the looks she gets from the others. “Technically I’ve never had a slumber party before,” she says with a shrug.

“Wait, never?” Chrissy asks. 

“Unless you count the times you, me and Waverly all passed out in the same room,” she says. 

“Not official,” Waverly says, pointing a finger in her direction.

“Then no.”

“Yeah in the city we did a lot of partying but not much slumbering,” Charlie laughs. Chrissy gives him a look like she’s not quite sure what he means, but at the same time, she probably doesn’t want to question it. 

“Well then, even better,” Waverly says as she climbs onto one of the empty mattresses on the floor. 

“Will there be pillow fights? I think you promised me pillow fights.” Wynonna chimes in. “I don’t spend the night in Randy Nedley's house for nothing!”

“Shut up, Wynonna,” Waverly huffs as her sister. “No one promised you anything.” 

“One rule at this sleepover, if you two are gonna bang you’re better go upstairs,” Chrissy warns. Nicole groans and throws a pillow at the blonde. She wants to tell her it's a little too late for that, but refrains. “And don’t whisper all night like yup did on the camping trip,” she adds, ignoring the fact that she just got hit by a flying pillow. 

“Camping trip?” Mattie asks as she makes her way over to the beds on the floor. 

“Senior class Fall trip!” Jeremy tells her, laying down next to Robin on the air mattress. 

“We need to do that again, but without half of the senior class,” Robin suggests with a laugh. “Our cabin was cool.” 

“Yes!”

“Can we be honorary members of your senior class?” Gretta asks. “Camping sounds awesome!” 

“Definitely!”

“Chrissy and I are on planning duty,” Waverly calls out quickly as she lays down next to Nicole. 

“Phew,” Nicole lets out a sigh of relief. 

“And Nicole,” Waverly adds, pressing her body further into the redhead’s, the pair fitting perfectly together. 

“Ugh,” Nicole groans as she wraps her arm around the brunette’s body. 

“Come on! It’ll be fun!” Waverly whines. She tilts her head to make eye contact with her girlfriend. 

“Oh, I’m not doubting that. I’m in for the trip, but planning isn’t really my thing,” the redhead says with a laugh. 

“Nicole and I will be busy that day,” Wynonna tells them as she lays down on a couch that’s on the other side of Nicole. 

“What day?” Waverly asks, rolling over to look back at her sister. 

“Whenever you plan,” Wynonna adds with a wink. 

“Yes, what she said!” Nicole says quickly. 

“You two are ridiculous,” Waverly huffs. She rolls her eyes as Nicole and Wynonna reach out to high five each other. “You’re still helping,” the brunette warns. Nicole gives in and nods her head in response. 

The group starts to settle in and watch movies. The room is spinning a little due to the alcohol coursing through Nicole’s veins. She pulls Waverly close to her body, relaxing onto her pillow under her head. As the movie continues, she feels Waverly’s hand pressed against her abdomen under her shirt, rubbing soft circles on her skin. She rolls to the side a little, whispering in Waverly’s ear.

“You’re killing me.” She’s careful to be as quiet as possible, remembering Chrissy’s comments about their lack of whispering skills.

“Why?” Waverly whispers back. 

She moves her hand over Waverly’s, that has now moved a little further south, brushing lightly over the waistband of her pants. She sees a smirk grow on her girlfriend’s face. She definitely knows what she’s doing. 

“Oops,” Waverly giggles and winks at the redhead. She moves her hand so it’s on the outside of Nicole’s shirt. 

Nicole immediately misses the contact. “I didn’t hate it,” she informs her.

“Okay then,” the brunette says with a smile as she returns her hand, fingers dancing across the top of Nicole’s pants. 

“You don’t know how badly I want to take you back upstairs right now,” Nicole whispers as she leans a little further into Waverly’s ear, allowing her lips to linger close to the brunette’s skin. She takes a breath in, Waverly’s scent filling her senses. She hears Waverly take a sharp breath in, fingers squeezing into her hip bone. 

“Do I need to do a hand check over there?” Chrissy calls out toward the pair. 

They laugh and shake their heads. 

“Man, you can tell she was raised by a cop,” Nicole says, snorting out a laugh. 

Waverly laughs and Nicole sees Chrissy shoots them a warning look through the darkness of the room that’s only lit by the glow of the television. They continue watching the movie until one by one they all fall asleep. The sounds of steady breathing fills the air and Nicole lays in silence listening for a moment. 

She thinks about her last birthday and all the events that happened over the course of the last year to get her to where she is today. She has friends, a beautiful girlfriend, and a home that she’s not afraid will disappear. And for the first time in as long as she can remember, she has a family. None of them are blood related to her, but that doesn’t make it any less to her. She finally sees a future for herself, not just because she thinks she should, but because she wants to. 


	25. Chapter 25

“So I’ve been thinking about getting a job,” Nicole says, nonchalantly, as she climbs in the car next to Chrissy. She pulls her backpack onto her lap and closes the door next to her, turning to see the blonde staring back at her. By the look she’s receiving, she assumes that Chrissy thinks it’s a bad idea. 

“Why the hell would you do that?”

“Because I’m poor,” the redhead says, matter of factly.

“And we don’t judge you for that!” The blonde replies. 

Nicole laughs and shakes her head at her foster sister. Chrissy puts the car in reverse, beginning to turn around in the driveway. “I just mean that I can't pay for my own things,” she tries to further explain herself. 

“No one says you have to,” Chrissy assures her. 

“I can’t live on your dad's money forever,” the redhead reminds her. As much as a comfort it is to know that Randy doesn’t plan on kicking her to the curb anytime soon, she still feels like she needs to do some things for her own. How is she going to ever provide for herself, or Waverly, in the future if she doesn’t start saving now?

“I’d like to,” Chrissy says with a shrug. 

“Chrissy, I’m serious.” 

Chrissy gives her a confused look. “Why the sudden need for one right now?” 

“I’m eighteen now,” Nicole sighs. “I’m an adult. I should do adult things.”

“But you’re still in high school. If I were you, I’d stick to the kid things until you run out of time,” the blonde suggests. 

Nicole rolls her eyes at the other girl. “I want to take Waverly out and I can’t,” she finally admits as they pull into the school parking lot. 

“Why not?”

“Because I can't pay for it,” she tells her. 

“She can,” Chrissy says, clearly not understanding where Nicole is coming from. She doesn’t blame Chrissy for never having to really be responsible for paying for anything. It’s not her fault she was born and raised where she was. 

“But I don’t want her to always have to, you know?” She tries to get her to understand a little more. 

“I’m sure she doesn’t mind, it’s not her money,” the blonde shrugs as they climb out of the car and head toward the school. Nicole slings her backpack over her shoulder and shakes her head at her foster sister. 

“That’s not the point, Chrissy,” she laughs. “How am I going to be able to do anything, support myself or anyone else if I can’t work?”

“I mean, you can work later in life,” Chrissy explains. 

“No one is going to hire me later in life if I don’t have experience.”

“That makes no sense,” the blonde gives her a confused look. 

“Trust me, I know,” Nicole sighs as she pulls the door to the school open, holding it for Chrissy to enter before her.

“So does Waverly know you want to start working?”

“No, why?”

“I was just wondering what she thought,” Chrissy says nonchalantly. 

“Would she be against it?” The redhead suddenly starts to question her idea. She thought maybe Waverly would be happy she wants to work to support herself, and possibly the two of them later in life. 

“Who knows,” Chrissy shrugs. 

Nicole lets out an audible groan at the other girl causing her to become worried over possibly nothing. “She’s busy with cheerleading again anyway,” she says as they turn the corner, heading down the hallway toward Waverly’s locker.

“What are you two talking about?” The brunette asks as soon as they’re close enough to hear her. 

“Your girlfriend wants a job,” Chrissy cringes as the word ‘job’ leaves her lips. Nicole rolls her eyes at the blonde and looks back toward Waverly, gauging her reaction to the comment. 

“Something Chrissy wishes she will never have in her life,” Waverly teases, shooting Nicole a wink. 

Nicole lets out a quick sigh of relief. 

“Hey now!” Chrissy whines. “Who needs a job when they’re going to have a rich husband?” 

Waverly shakes her head at her friend. “Might want to start with the boyfriend part first,” she laughs. 

Chrissy gives her a dirty look and slaps her on the arm. Waverly gasps dramatically, rubbing her arm where Chrissy hit her.

“Whatever,” Chrissy huffs. “You guys suck. I’ll see you later,” she continues as she gives them a wave and heads down the hallway in the opposite direction. 

Waverly laughs and leans up against the locker behind her. Nicole turns to face her, leaning her hand against the cold metal of the locker behind her. She places her left hand on Waverly’s hip, grasping at her shirt. 

“Good morning,” she says with a smile as she leans in, pressing a soft kiss against the brunette’s lips. 

“Mm good morning to you too,” Waverly says, eyes still closed and a smile plastered on her face. 

“Do you have any plans tonight?” Nicole asks. Waverly’s eyes open before she answers. 

“Just practice.” 

“How would you like to join me at the diner after practice?” Nicole asks. She reaches up, brushing loose hairs from Waverly’s face. 

“Like a date?” 

“Well, it’s with my probation officer,” she says. “So sort of.” 

Waverly laughs. “So I finally get to meet the man you had the whole town wondering if you were dating or not?” She teases. 

“Oh god,” Nicole groans. “Don’t tell him that,” she laughs. “Actually, do. I’d love to see his face turn 50 shades of red.” 

Waverly laughs again, pressing her hands flat against Nicole’s abs over her shirt. Nicole feels her muscles tense under her girlfriend’s touch. 

“I’d love to join you guys,” Waverly tells her, lifting up on her toes a bit to press another kiss against the redhead’s mouth.

“He wants to discuss the end of probation,” Nicole explains. “I’m almost free again!” She laughs as she raises her eyebrows playfully. 

“Damn, your delinquent side was kinda sexy,” Waverly teases. 

“Should have seen me in cuffs,” Nicole says with a smirk. 

“Maybe that can be arranged,” Waverly says with a wink as she drags her fingernails down Nicole’s abs. Goosebumps form on her skin as she sucks in a deep breath through her nose. 

“You’re killing me,” Nicole groans. She licks her lips, looking her girlfriend up and down a little. The brunette giggles at the fact that she clearly ruffled Nicole’s feathers. 

“Sorry,” the brunette says sheepishly. The sound of the warning bell fills the halls and Nicole lets out an audible sigh. All she can think about is being alone with the brunette. The last thing she wants to focus on right now is math. 

“I’ll see you in history?” Nicole asks, pressing one last kiss on Waverly’s lips. 

The brunette nods. “I’ll miss you,” she says as she slips out from against the lockers, tucking her books under her arm. 

“I’ll miss you too,” Nicole says with a smile as they turn to start walking down the hall together. 

They continue together as long as possible until Waverly needs to turn down a different hallway. Nicole gives her one more look over her shoulder before ducking into her classroom. She quickly slides into a seat, plopping her books down on the hard surface of the desk. 

**** **   
**

The morning drags by. She finds out that she has a test in math at the end of the week that she’s not thrilled about. She has trouble focusing on most of her classes. Her thoughts race about her probation hearing coming up and her plan of finding a job. 

Part of her can’t help but think of how much better it’ll make her look at the hearing if she’s working and really trying to be a positive asset to society. She’s 18 now and nothing she does will ever be looked at by a juvenile court again. She thinks about how much life has changed and how she feels like she finally has something to work hard for. 

Her thoughts shift again to the future, something she finds herself thinking more and more about. She and Waverly have talked about college, but not as much about what their plans are together in the future. She feels like that’s partially her fault. Anytime she feels the conversation going in that direction, she fears it. She tries to push it aside, but deep down inside of her, she is still fearful that things just won’t work out the way she wants them to. And if that’s the case, she’s not sure how she’s going to handle it. 

When she’s alone, however, she can’t help but think about what it would be like with Waverly in the future. She thinks about having a home with her someday, starting a family together. She’s not sure why it’s so hard for her to bring that up to her girlfriend, but a lot of things are easier left unsaid. 

By the time lunch rolls around, she feels like the day just continues to drag on. She leaves her history classroom with Waverly by her side, the pair making small talk on the way down the hallway. When they make it into the lunchroom, their friends are already gathered at their usual table. 

“So I heard you’re finally introducing your girlfriend to your tall, dark and handsome boyfriend. I’m a little jealous,” Chrissy says when they take their seats amongst the group. 

“He’s literally been to our house,’ Nicole says with a laugh, giving the blonde a strange look. 

“That doesn’t mean I’ve officially met him,” Chrissy argues. 

“Was that back when you didn’t want anything to do with me?” Nicole teases, giving her a smirk. She receives a few snickers from the rest of their friends at the table and a dramatically, offended look from the blonde. 

“Who says I want anything to do with you now?” Chrissy huffs. 

“Chrissy!” Waverly says, slapping her on the arm. Chrissy laughs, telling them that she’s just kidding as she rubs her arm where Waverly just hit her. 

“So you’re almost off probation?” Jeremy asks, joining the conversation. 

“Finally,” Nicole says with a sigh. She feels Waverly’s hand on her thigh, giving it a little squeeze. She turns and smiles at her girlfriend who’s giving her a proud look. 

“It’s only been six months right?” Robin asks. 

“Sort of,” Nicole says with a shrug. 

“What does that mean?” Jeremy asks.

“I may or may not have been on probation a few times,” she says as nonchalantly as possible, hoping to not receive a bunch of judgemental looks all of a sudden. “Like more times than not in the past couple of years,” she adds, quickly.

“Damn, Haught,” Robin says with a laugh. 

“People change,” Nicole says. 

Her past is her past and it’s not something she wants to continue in the future. 

She’s grateful when she doesn’t receive too many more questions from her friends, nor does she receive any judgment as far as she can tell. She appreciates the friends she’s found in Purgatory and the fact that she doesn’t have to be afraid to be herself, even if she is probably a lot different from what they’re used to.

After school, Nicole heads home while Waverly stays for cheerleading practice. Waverly tells her that she’ll meet her at the diner when she gets out of practice. Dolls picks her up from her house to bring her to the diner. As soon as she climbs into the passenger side of the car, Nicole starts to change the radio in the car. 

“My car, my music,” he reminds her. 

Nicole laughs and shakes her head at the man. “Damn, Dolls, you’d think after all this time you’d let me finally choose a song,” she huffs. 

“And let you win?” He asks. Nicole turns her head to look at him, noticing the smirk that forms on his lips. 

“You’re ridiculous.”

“Are you going to miss me when I no longer have to make these trips out to see you?” he asks.

“I think you’re going to miss me,” Nicole counters. 

“I’m sure there will be other punk kids in my future.”

Nicole laughs. She is going to miss him, but that’s not something she’s ever going to say out loud, especially not so he can hear it. When they make it to the restaurant, she reminds him that Waverly will be meeting them this time. 

“I was beginning to think this girl didn’t actually exist,” the man teases as he slides into his side of the booth.

“Nah, I don’t need to make up a woman that actually likes me,” the redhead teases. 

“Some of us are just married to our work,” he tries to argue. 

“Whatever helps you sleep at night,” she says as she gives him a wink. “Speaking of work,” she continues. “I was thinking about getting a job.”

“I think that’s a great idea,” Dolls says, his tone a lot less sarcastic this time. “College and a job? This girl must really be a good influence on you.”

“Those were actually my ideas,” Nicole tells him. “I know it’s hard to believe, but things have really been changing for the better.”

“Why would that be hard to believe?”

“Because I’m supposed to be the screw up, remember?”

“You’re too hard on yourself, kid,” Dolls says. The waitress comes over and takes their drink orders after they tell her they’re waiting for one more. “You’re not a screw up, you just had a rough hand of cards dealt to you. If anything, you’re better than you think for even getting through all of that.”

“Who says I’ve gotten through it all?” she challenges. “Something in me feels like there’s more shit to come.” She pauses for a moment to read the man’s face. It reads something between sympathy and empathy. “I know, I know, watch my mouth,” she adds.

“You’re fine,” he says. “You’re 18 now,” he adds with a wink.

“And suddenly everything feels heavier.”

“What do you mean?”

“I feel like I should have it all together by now.”

“Haught, you’re 18, not 35. And if you don’t have it together by then either, don’t worry too much about it. You’ll figure it out when you’re supposed to.”

“Do you practice that, or does it come naturally?”

“What’s that?”

“Sounding like a damn Hallmark card,” she laughs. The sound of the door opening draws her attention to her left. She quickly makes eye contact with the brunette entering the diner, receiving a cheery smile from her. She smiles back and waves her over, standing from the booth as Waverly makes her way over to them. 

“Hey, baby,” the brunette says as she wraps her arms around the redhead, pulling her in for a hug. “Sorry if I stink,” she adds, cringing a little. 

“You’re fine,” Nicole says with a laugh, pressing a kiss against the side of Waverly’s head. When they pull back from the hug, she turns toward the man sitting at the table. “Waverly, this is Xavier Dolls,” she says as she gestures toward her. “Am I allowed to call you Xavier? We’re on that level now, right?” she jokes. 

The man laughs and shakes his head at Nicole. He stands from the table and reaches out his hand to shake Waverly’s. “It’s great to meet you,” he says with a smile. 

“You too!” the brunette responds in a cheery tone. They all take their seats back at the table and the waitress arrives with the drinks that Nicole and Dolls ordered. Waverly places her drink order and the waitress returns soon after with her drink as well.

They order food and start to discuss the end of Nicole’s probation. Dolls explains the process of her probation hearing. It’s not really new information to Nicole since she’s been here before, but she appreciates that he still works with her through the entire process. He definitely goes above and beyond for her, more than any other probation officer has ever done in her past. 

Waverly chimes in from time to time, explaining how proud she is with Nicole’s progress that she’s made. Nicole thinks it’s a little funny because Waverly didn’t really know her more rebellious side, but she’s kind of glad that she didn’t. That’s a side of her she doesn’t really want to revisit and she definitely wants to continue down the path she’s headed now. 

As they eat, the conversation begins to shift to more casual things. They discuss future school plans, which is mostly Waverly discussing her excitement about applying to schools in the city. She tells Dolls how much she loved the city when they visited and how she felt comfortable there. She explains how she found out her mother is actually from there as well and she’d like to get to know more about what it’s like to live there. 

Nicole finds herself sitting quietly and listening intently as her girlfriend discusses her plans for the future. She thinks about how she’s really going to have to suck it up and have the conversation with her at some point as well. Regardless of her fears about what’s going to happen between them after high school, it’s something they really need to talk about. 

“So, I was thinking about leaving the city,” Dolls tells her nonchalantly, taking a bite of food. 

“Is it because I want to come back?” Nicole teases, stealing a fry off of her girlfriend’s plate only to have her hand swatted at. She laughs and leans a little further toward the brunette who is sitting next to her. 

“Don’t flatter yourself,” the man scoffs. “You know, Waverly, I’m not sure how there’s room for much around here with that head of her’s in here,” he laughs as he gestures toward Nicole. Waverly laughs and nods her head at the man. 

“Don’t pretend like you hate it,” Nicole tells him. Dolls shakes his head at her. Nicole pauses for a moment, realizing what he actually said. It’s been a while since she’s known what life was like without Dolls in it. “So you’re really leaving?”

“I applied for an officer job across the country,” he admits, pausing to wait for her reaction. Nicole isn’t sure what to say. “Look, Nicole,” he says, more seriously. 

“You called me Nicole,” she says. 

“Isn’t that still your name?” he teases. 

“I was beginning to think you forgot,” she laughs. 

“I’ll sure miss this banter,” he says with a laugh. “But what I was going to say was,” he continues. “I feel like I’ve reached a point in my career where I’m ready for something new. A change of scenery would be nice.”

“I get that,” Nicole says. “I didn’t know I needed a change of scenery when I did.”

“Someone must have really been looking out for you,” Dolls says with a wink.

“Yeah, yeah,” she huffs. She hates when he’s right. “Can I ask you something?” The man nods, remaining silent, waiting for her to speak again. “Did you stay for me?”

Dolls pauses for a moment. The look she receives gives her an answer before he even speaks. 

“You only had a few months to go,” he says.

“That’s not what I asked,” Nicole tells him.

“I didn’t want you to have to change officers in the middle of your probation,” he answers. Nicole nods, accepting the answer. She knows the man well enough by now that he’s not going to admit that she’s right. As much as she hates it when he’s right, he hates it more when she is. 

**** **   
**

The rest of the meal is filled with conversations about various topics. Dolls wanted to know a little more information about how Waverly and Nicole met. Throughout the conversation, he found it funny to ask questions regarding whether or not Waverly was the reason Nicole wanted to go back to the city at times or try to ditch out on the school trip. Any moment to embarrass her, he sure took it.

Waverly laughs each time though, which makes her feel better. There’s nothing like her probation officer airing out all of her dirty laundry the first time he meets the love of her life. By the time they’re done eating, Dolls asks if Nicole needs a ride back home. Waverly says she will take her home.

“Are you ever going to get your license?” Dolls asks in a teasing tone. 

“Well, you never let me drive your car,” Nicole laughs. 

“And that will stand true until the day I die.” 

Nicole laughs. The waitress comes back with the bill, which Dolls takes quickly from the table. He settles the bill and they say their goodbyes. Dolls reminds her that he will see her again at the probation hearing before making his way out of the diner. 

On her way out toward the exit of the diner, Nicole stops in her tracks at the sight of a flyer hanging near the door that reads, ‘Help Wanted.’ She turns toward Waverly, who is watching her every move. 

She gives the brunette a smile and gestures toward the flyer, shrugging her shoulders. Waverly nods encouragingly back at her. 

“Be right back,” Nicole says, brushing her fingers across her girlfriend’s arm as she heads toward the counter at the back of the restaurant. 

The girl behind the counter stops in her tracks, giving her attention to Nicole. “Can I help you?” 

“I hope so,” Nicole says, trying not to sound so desperate. “I was hoping to apply for a job.” 

The girl behind the counter pauses for a moment, giving her another look. Nicole narrows her eyes a little, trying to get a better read on her. She tries to stand a little straighter, making herself a little more presentable.

She looks down at her partially wrinkled flannel that’s unbuttoned and opened over a black t-shirt. She tries to think about how many days she’s worn her jeans since she’s washed them last. If she knew she’d be applying for a job that day she probably would have dressed a little nicer, but then again, this isn’t Wall Street. 

“How about I get you an application,” the girl says. Nicole lifts her head to redirect her attention back in her direction. The girl is smiling now, sweet and bubbly. 

“That would be great,” Nicole says, smiling back at her. She leans a little on the counter, turning for a moment to see Waverly looking back at her. The brunette gives her an encouraging thumbs up, causing her to smile. 

She heard the doors to the kitchen swing open again and she quickly turns to see the girl walking back toward her with a piece of paper in her hand. 

“Here you go,” the girl says, sliding the paper across the counter toward Nicole. “If you want, you can fill it out right now. We’re pretty desperate for help,” she admits, pulling a pen out from behind her ear to hand it to Nicole. 

“Okay!” Nicole says, uncapping the pen. She begins to fill out the application. “I don’t really have experience,” she tells the girl who is still hovering nearby. Her eyes continue to concentrate on the paper in front of her as she continues to put pen to paper. 

“We train,” the girl says with a laugh. “You seem like you’ll be fine.” Nicole feels the girl place her hand on her forearm that is resting on the counter next to the paper she’s writing on. “You’re in here enough, you’ll learn fast,” she adds. Nicole looks up to catch the wink she’s receiving from the other girl. 

She freezes, unsure if she should pull her arm away but hoping the girl just moves her hand instead. “Uh, yeah,” Nicole says with a laugh. She looks back down at the paper, shifting her arm a bit until the other girl lifts her hand relieving a bit of awkwardness. “Here you go,” she says once she’s finished filling out the paper. 

“Thanks,” the girl says with a smile as she looks down at the paper. “Nicole Haught.” 

“No, thank you,” she replies, still hoping to get hired. At this point, anything will do and she’s sure the tips will be good in a town full of rich people. “Bethany,” she says, finally looking up at the girl’s name tag on her apron. 

“We’ll be calling you,” Bethany says with another big smile. 

“Great, thanks again!” Nicole says and with no hesitation, she quickly turns toward the door of the restaurant. 

Waverly is still standing near the door and gives her a confused look as Nicole speeds up her steps, making it over to her girlfriend in no time flat. 

“Was she?” Waverly asks as Nicole quickly grabs her hand and leads her out the door. 

“Hitting on me?” The redhead asks. “Pretty sure, yeah.” 

“Well, you’re hot,” Waverly tells her, matter of factly. Nicole rolls her eyes at her girlfriend, shaking her head. 

They make their way outside and stop walking next to Waverly’s car. Waverly stands in front of the redhead, wrapping her arms around her middle. She tilts her head up toward Nicole. “I got myself some eye candy,” she teases.

“Yeah right,” Nicole scoffs. “Have you seen you?” 

“I’d rather see you.” The brunette winks at her, making her stomach fill with butterflies. She leans in, pressing a soft kiss against Waverly’s mouth. “So are you gonna take the job if they offer it?”

“If that girl wants to learn some boundaries, maybe,” the redhead snorts out a laugh. 

“What if I come by and hit on you while you work?” Waverly proposes. 

“That I could get down with,” Nicole laughs, leaning in for another kiss. “Okay, let's get you home, it’s a school night,” she teases. 

Waverly gives her an adorable pouty lip, making her laugh. She’s confused when she sees the brunette turn to make her way around to the passenger side of the car. 

“What are you doing?” Nicole asks, giving the brunette a confused look. 

“I’m going to teach you how to drive,” the brunette says.

“Oh no!” Nicole quickly protests. “No way.” She quickly makes her way around the car, as far away from the driver’s side as she can. 

“You have to learn sometime!” Waverly says. “Come on, baby,” she whines as she wraps her arms around Nicole’s waste. The redhead looks down her nose at Waverly, still uneasy about the idea of learning how to drive right now. 

“But I don’t have to do it like right this second.”

“What better time than the present?”

Nicole lets out an audible sigh, knowing very well that Waverly really isn’t going to drop the subject. She thinks for a moment, trying to push her nerves aside. Maybe it won’t be so bad. 

“Fine,” she says, holding her hand out for the keys. “Just around the parking lot,” she adds. 

Waverly squeals with excitement and drops the keys in the redhead’s hand. 

Nicole swallows hard at the thought that she’s actually going to let Waverly teach her how to drive. She watches as the brunette quickly opens the passenger side door, sliding her way into the car. She hears the door slam closed behind her as she turns to head back around to the other side of the car. 

She takes in a deep breath, letting it out slowly before she opens the driver’s side door. Climbing in, she reaches down to slide the seat back allowing more space for her legs. She hears Waverly laugh and apologize for having short legs. Nicole laughs, telling her it’s okay, and turns her body slightly to reach for her seatbelt, pulling it across her body. 

“Okay, so the key goes…” Waverly starts, gesturing toward the ignition as she pulls her own seatbelt from over her shoulder, clicking it into place. 

“I know that much,” Nicole says as she pushes the key into the ignition, turning it. The sound of the car starting and the radio playing fills her ears. “I’m still not sure this is a good idea.”

“You’ll be fine!” Waverly assures her. She places her hand on Nicole’s leg, squeezing it gently. She reaches up and turns off the radio, silence quickly filling the car. 

“What if I suck at it?” she asks, still full of nerves. She turns her head to see the brunette looking back at her sympathetically. 

“Then we’ll practice until you don’t,” Waverly says with a wink. “Okay, so the break is on the left and the gas is on the right.” 

Nicole moves her foot over the pedals on the floor as she listens to Waverly speak. Thoughts race through her head giving her every terrible scenario of what could happen. Usually she’d expect Waverly to be the more cautious one, but there’s something about being in control of a hunk of metal on wheels that she doesn’t feel quite so comfortable with.

“Okay, so first you make sure all the mirrors are in position for you to see behind us,” the brunette continues to explain. 

Her calm demeanor is making her more relaxed than Nicole expected to be. She looks up into the rear view mirror, notching it’s basically facing the backseat. She reaches up to adjust it, giving herself a better view of the world behind them. 

“Okay,” Nicole says, placing her hands back on the steering wheel. She grips it tighter than she means to. 

“Perfect,” Waverly says in a bubbly tone. “When you’re ready, you’re going to press down on the brake pedal with your foot and shift the car into drive.” She gestured down the gearshift that’s next to Nicole’s right leg. 

Nicole’s eyes follow Waverly’s hand as she points things out. She slowly moves her right hand to the gear shift, letting it linger for a moment. She’s suddenly grateful for her girlfriend’s ability to back into a parking space because the idea of putting the car in reverse right now is not something she wants to do. 

“You’re not going to laugh?” she asks, cringing as she turns toward Waverly again. 

Waverly’s eyes widen and an empathetic look appears on her face. “Baby,” she says, taking Nicole’s hands in her own. She brings one of her hands to her mouth, leaving a few light kisses against her skin. “Everyone needs to start somewhere.”

“I know,” Nicole sighs. “But I’m 18 already. This is something people should already know how to do by the time they’re my age.”

“Maybe,” Waverly replies. “But you’re not everybody and that’s okay.” Nicole takes another deep breath in, letting it out slowly. She feels Waverly squeeze her hands, making her feel a little better about the entire situation. “If you’re truly not comfortable, I won’t make you do it.”

“No,” Nicole says. She leans in and presses a kiss against the side of Waverly’s mouth. “I got this,” she tells her, more confident this time. She leans back into her seat, adjusting herself so she can see out the mirrors again. Placing her hand on the gear shift, she presses her foot against the brake pedal, slowly shifting the level to drive.

“Okay,” Waverly says, grinning back at the redhead. “Now slowly let up on the brake pedal and move your foot to the gas pedal.

Nicole follows the directions as Waverly gives them, feeling the car start to slowly roll across the pavement below them. Her fingers tightly grip the steering wheel and her eyes are plastered on the world in front of her. 

The parking lot is fairly empty and Waverly leads her away from the other cars. The car glides smoothly across the pavement and Waverly offers her encouragement the entire time, even though she’s sure she doesn’t go any faster than five miles per hour. She’s not comfortable enough yet to let her eyes travel anywhere but the parking lot in front of her, but she focuses hard on the sound of her girlfriend’s voice guiding her the entire time. 

She’s not sure how much time has passed when Waverly finally has her slowly pull into nearby parking space. She had done a few circles around the empty space of the lot before that and Waverly told her that next time they would work on backing up and more complicated things. She explains to Nicole that she just wants her to get a feel for the car before they get into anything else. 

Nicole doesn’t hesitate to agree with the idea as she smoothly brings the car to a stop, putting it into park. When the car is fully stopped and securely in park, the redhead lets out a breath that she didn’t realize she was holding. She lets up on the grip she has on the steering wheel and slowly turns her head toward her girlfriend.

“How bad was it?” 

“It wasn’t bad at all!” Waverly says, bringing her hands to Nicole’s leg. “You’re a natural!” 

Nicole laughs out a loud laugh. “Oh, I don’t know about that!” 

“I mean it,” Waverly assures her. “With a little more practice, you’ll be driving in no time.” 

Nicole smiles, lifting a hand to Waverly's face, brushing her cheek softly with her thumb. “Thank you, baby.” 

“Anytime,” the brunette says, turning her head to kiss Nicole’s thumb. “Now let’s switch spots,” she adds. “It’s a school night.” Waverly gives Nicole a quick wink, causing her to laugh. Nicole gladly switches spots with Waverly in the car, allowing her to drive her back home for the night. 


	26. Chapter 26

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter 26 is finally done! Thanks for being patient with me, I've had a lot going on lately! I hope you all enjoy :)
> 
> Also, I'm adding two more chapters. I hope that's cool ;)

As they roll into February, Nicole starts to feel the fact that she and Waverly have been spending less time together during the weeks. She got the job at the diner and works most nights during the week. She likes it, despite the occasional, not-so-subtle- flirting that she receives from Bethany when they work together. She brushes it off pretty easily, filling her thoughts with future plans that she has with Waverly after they graduate.

The pair has started talking more and more about what they want to do after high school. Nicole is becoming more nervous about the fact that she might not get into college when she’s sure Waverly will. Her girlfriend is the valedictorian of the senior class, there’s no way any college could ever say ‘no’ to her. At least not in Nicole’s opinion they can’t. 

With basketball season in full force, Waverly has been busier with cheerleading as well. They try to make time to catch up with each other after school for the few minutes they have between the final bell and the time Waverly needs to be in the gym for practice. The way Nicole sees it is any minute she can get, she’ll take it. 

“So what am I going to do all day in school without you on Friday?” the brunette asks, wrapping her arms around Nicole’s middle. 

“You barely see me throughout the day anyway,” Nicole says with a laugh, looking down the bridge of her nose toward her girlfriend. 

“But I still get time with you, like right now,” the brunette whines. 

Nicole laughs, leaning down to press a soft kiss against Waverly’s lips. She’s slow to pull back, letting her lips linger for a moment, eyes still closed.

“I know,” she says, finally opening her eyes. “But it’s only one day and then I’ll officially be off probation.” She raises her hands in the air in celebration, laughter pouring from the brunette. Nicole lowers her arms back down, pulling Waverly in closer to her body. 

The brunette smiles up at her, eyes squinting, but bright. “I’m proud of you,” she says. 

“Thanks, baby,” the redhead sighs, pressing a quick kiss against Waverly’s lips. 

“You should be proud of you too.” 

Nicole pauses for a moment. Proud isn’t really a feeling she’s had toward herself in a long time, or ever. She’s pretty much accepted the fact that even if she was doing well for the time being, she was bound to screw up again at one point or another. It wasn’t until now, that she really sees herself continuing to go forward, rather than taking steps backwards. 

“I have a question,” she states, changing the subject. 

“Okay, shoot.” 

She feels Waverly play with the material on the bottom of her shirt. 

“What are your feelings about Valentine’s Day?”

“Honestly?” The brunette asks, receiving a nod from the redhead. “I think it’s a commercial holiday and I don’t need a hallmark card to show me how much you love me.” 

Nicole lets out an audible sigh, causing her girlfriend to laugh. It’s not that she didn’t want to celebrate Valentine’s Day with Waverly, but she’s glad they’re on the same page. 

“But I don’t hate chocolate,” the brunette quickly adds, pointing a finger up at her. 

Nicole laughs. “So we can just do something small?”

“Any alone time I get to spend with you is enough for me,” Waverly says in a cheerful tone, booping the redhead on the nose. 

“Sounds perfect to me,” Nicole says with a smile. 

The hallway is suddenly filled with the sound of the cheerleaders making their way toward the locker room. Waverly lets out a groan, dramatically throwing her head backwards. 

“Call me later?” 

Nicole nods, pulling the brunette in for one more kiss before they finally pull apart. She suddenly feels cold from the lack of extra body heat she was receiving from holding her girlfriend in her arms. 

“Have fun at practice,” she says with a smile. Waverly groans again, making her laugh as she watches her turn to join the group of cheerleaders.

  
  


_____________

  
  
  


“Did you really come over here just to ask me about my sister’s opinions of Valentine’s Day?” Wynonna asks as Nicole plops down on the brunette’s bed. She makes herself comfortable, laying backward on the mattress, staring up at the ceiling. 

“And to hang out,” she answers quickly, trying to make herself look like she’s not being a terrible friend. She continues not to make eye contact with the other girl in fear that she’s giving her a dirty look. 

“Sure, Haught,” Wynonna huffs. “You go get a job and you don’t have time for me anymore.” 

“Oh, okay, Wynonna, because you don’t have your own thing going on either.” She sits up and gives Wynonna a look. 

“Why does everyone have to bring this thing up?” Wynonna asks, pitting toward her ever growing stomach. 

“Thing?” 

“Yeah yeah,” she huffs. “It’s not like she’s here yet. And I’m still me!” 

“Minus the whiskey,” Nicole says with a laugh. The older Earp rolls her eyes at her. “But really, is she going to expect something big and she’s just saying she doesn’t so I don’t have to stress?”

“Look, Haught,” Wynonna says, resting her hand on top of Nicole’s shoulder. “Why don’t you just trust her and go with what she says. Not all girls play games.” 

“I guess you’re right.” 

She’s still reluctant, but decides to try to push her doubts to the side. She has an idea of a quiet night in with Waverly and plans to stick with it. Besides, it may not seem extravagant to some, but to her it’s exactly how she would want to spend Valentine’s Day. 

“So I hear you’re finally getting off probation,” Wynonna says. “Does that mean mister tall, dark and handsome won’t be coming around anymore?”

“It’s about time,” the redhead says with a laugh. She knows Wynonna doesn’t know the dynamic of her relationship with Dolls, but it doesn’t make it less funny to her. 

“I don’t know, I wouldn’t mind having him around more often.” 

If she only knew what she’s had to put up with for the years she spent with Officer Dolls in her life. 

“I’m not sure that he’s into pregnant teenagers,” she teases. 

“Funny.”

“I thought so. But really, I think he’s ready to be done with me anyway, we go back too far,” Nicole says, reminiscing in her head a bit. 

“Is it weird?”

Nicole tries to think of a time where anyone else has ever asked her something like that. Is it weird to not be on probation? To not have to worry about screwing up time and time again? Most people go straight to the encouraging ‘you got this’ or ‘you can definitely do better,’ ‘you’ll get there.’ 

“A little,” she says with a shrug.

“Well, Haught,” Wynonna says, placing a hand on the redhead’s shoulder. “You got this.” 

There it is.

Nicole laughs and nods at her friend. “Thanks, Wynonna.” 

The pair spend the next hour or so casually hanging out in Wynonna’s room. Nicole thinks about how it’s nice to get to spend time with Wynonna without anyone else around. She is one of the first people in Purgatory to actually take a chance on her and accepted her, no questions asked. 

  
  


————-

By the time Friday rolls around, Nicole wakes up less tired than expected. She feels excited to get up and get to the city, ready to move on to the next chapter in her life. 

Her trip to the city is a lot different than the last time she was there. She remembers bringing Waverly with her and showing her parts of what her life used to be like before she moved to purgatory. She tries not to think too much of the negative part of the trip, focusing on both of their dreams to return to the city after high school for college. 

She thinks about how it wasn’t until recently that she even considered herself to be someone who would go to college. Future plans always felt like a fantasy before. 

As they pull into the parking lot of the court house, Nicole recognizes Xavier Dolls’ car right away. She breathes a small sigh of relief, knowing that things are always easier with him around; something she will never admit to him. 

“Nicole,” Dolls says as he makes his way over to the redhead and her foster father. “Ready to be free again?” 

“Sounds terrifying,” Nicole says, partially out of sarcasm and partially out of honesty. 

“You’ll be fine.” 

She hears Randy’s words of encouragement pierce through her ears. She slowly nods in response to the comment as she follows the two men into the courthouse. 

The hearing goes by faster than she thought it would. Usually when she’s in there she feels like time stops. She feels like she’s able to spend the time planning her next move to land herself right back in this spot again a few months later. 

Not this time.

This time she focuses on all of the positive things Dolls has to say about her. She finds herself tearing up a bit when Randy discusses what life has been like since Nicole has lived under his roof. 

It’s overwhelming, but refreshing at the same time to hear it come from more than just Waverly’s mouth. It’s not that she doesn’t believe her or appreciate it, but still nice to know other people that aren’t romantically involved with her see her progress as well. 

At the end of the hearing, Nicole is standing from where she was once sitting, shaking the hand of the judge. She thanks him for his time and makes a promise to not be back here again. A promise she feels like she can actually mean this time. 

After hearing how proud they are for what feels like the millionth time, they go out to eat in the city before Randy and Nicole have to make their way back to Purgatory.

On the way to the restaurant, Nicole finally has a chance to look at her phone, noticing that Waverly has sent her text messages throughout the day. Most of them are encouraging texts, telling her that she hopes her day is going well and that the hearing is quick and painless. 

She can’t help but smile at how much Waverly cares. There are a few other texts telling her that she misses her and that school sucks without her. Nicole laughs at that, knowing very well that Waverly still finds enjoyment in going to school.

She sends her back a few texts telling Waverly that she misses her too and gives her a quick update on her day. She lets her know they’re about to go get some food before they head back to Purgatory. She receives a few sad faces from her girlfriend and statements that she doesn’t want to wait any longer to see her. She caves and sends her a quick selfie. She never thought she’d ever be the type of girl to do something like that. 

They pull into the parking lot of a nearby restaurant. Nicole is excited to be there when she feels her stomach grumble from the backseat of the car. After they park, she climbs out of the backseat, and follows Randy and Xavier into the restaurant. 

The next hour is mostly filled with the two men talking to each other back and forth, reminiscing on their times together in the academy years ago. Nicole does her best to listen and try to focus on what they’re saying, but she finds her mind often drifting to other thoughts. She thinks about the fact that this could be the last time she sees Xavier. She’s unsure of what he’s leaving for his new job across the country. She didn’t think she’d ever see a day where she would miss the man that once was the biggest pain in her ass.

They say their goodbyes after they’ve finished eating and the bill is settled. Nicole feels Xavier hold her a little tighter when he hugs her goodbye, but doesn’t call him out on it; not this time. As they make their way to their separate cars, Nicole doesn’t look back. She doesn’t want to admit it, but it has everything to do with the fact that she doesn’t want the chance of tears threatening to appear, making her look as weak as she feels.

The ride back to Purgatory is fairly quiet. Randy tries to make small talk, but Nicole doesn’t feel like talking too much. She’s just letting everything sink in from the day, exhaustion beginning to take over. 

“You’re quiet,” Randy says, stating the obvious. 

Nicole laughs softly and nods, turning her attention toward the older man driving the car. “Sorry,” she says. 

“No need to apologize,” Randy tells her. “Everything okay?”

“Exhausting day,” Nicole says with a sigh. “Thanks again for taking me.”

“Of course, Nicole,” the man says, offering her a soft smile. “You know, you’ve really been doing great since you’ve moved out to Purgatory. I’m not sure if I tell you enough, but I really enjoy having you. I think Chrissy has finally come around too.”

Nicole laughs. “She’s pretty cool,” she says. “But don’t tell her that, it might go to her head,” she adds, causing Randy to laugh louder than she expected. “But hey, thanks for everything you guys have done, it really does mean a lot to me.”

“Anytime.”

“Especially for helping me apply for college and stuff. I never really thought I’d choose that path for me, but I’m sort of excited to find out if I got in,” she says. “And a little terrified too…”

“I’m sure you’ll do fine,” Randy says in response. He seems calm and continuously genuine. “I just want you to know you’re a part of our family now, Nicole, and that will always stand.” 

“I know,” Nicole says, softly. “Thank you. That means more to me than I’ll ever be able to explain.” 

“Just don’t forget about this old man when you go make a big life for yourself in the city,” Randy teases, shooting a wink in Nicole’s direction. 

Nicole laughs. “Oh, I don’t think that could ever happen!” 

As they pulled into the driveway of the Nedley house, Nicole takes a moment to take in the view. She stares at the house she’s called home since August and she smiles to herself, happy to be able to call this place home. 

  
  


——————

  
  


Nicole sticks to her guns on her Valentine’s Day plans, not planning anything huge for her and Waverly. Instead, she planned a quiet night in and away from their busy lives, something they both have been craving. 

Standing at the top of the stairs, she turns and waits for Waverly to reach the top. She holds her hands out, waiting to take Waverly’s in her own. 

“Not gonna blindfold me?” Waverly teases as she makes it to the top of the stairs. 

Nicole shakes her head, but internally kicks herself for not thinking of grabbing something to blindfold the brunette with. She reaches out to take Waverly by the hand, leading her down the hallway. When they reach her closed bedroom door, she pauses for dramatic effect before slowly opening the door to reveal a blanket and pillows spread out on the floor with a few lit candles around the room. On her desk are a few Chinese takeout boxes and a small vase of flowers that she picked out, hoping that Waverly would like them.

She turns to gauge Waverly’s reaction, taking in the giant grin on her girlfriend's face. She can’t help but smile in return, her heart feels like it’s going to pound out of her chest. She’s not sure how it’s possible to feel this much love for another person. 

“Baby you did all this for me?? Waverly squeals, finally breaking the silence. 

“For us,” Nicole corrects her, leading her further into the room, closing the door behind them. 

“For us,” Waverly repeats, smiling. 

“Is it too much? I know you didn’t want anything crazy but I didn’t want to not do anything for our first Valentine’s Day either,” she rambles.

Waverly laughs as she stands in front of the redhead, pulling her close to her body. Nicole looks down the bridge of her nose at her girlfriend who is grinning up at her. “It’s perfect,” the brunette says, almost in a whisper. “You’re perfect.” She pushes up on her toes, pressing a kiss against Nicole’s lips that she quickly reciprocates. 

“You hungry?” Nicole asks when they pull away from the kiss. Waverly nods and makes her way over to the food on the desk. 

They settle in on the blanket on the floor with their food. Waverly continues to make comments about how sweet Nicole is for setting up the perfect date night for them. 

“Thank you for being the perfect date,” Nicole replies as she leans up against the wall, shoving one of the pillows behind her back. Waverly smiles and scoots her body a little closer to Nicole’s, leaning against her side.

Throughout their meal, they chat idly about their days. Nicole takes note of how comfortable she is just being in the presence of Waverly. There’s something about the brunette that makes her feel like she’s known her forever; and something about her that makes her want to know her for the rest of her life. 

After they eat, Waverly stands from the floor, making her way over to the guitar in the corner of the room. She turns back toward Nicole, who is watching her. 

“Can I play it?” the brunette asks, running her fingers down the strings. 

Nicole nods. Waverly smiles and picks the guitar up, making her way over to the bed. Nicole remains seated where she is, her heart continuing to pound in her chest as she watches Waverly’s every move. The brunette sits down on the bed, resting the guitar on her thigh.

“Do you want the amp?”

Waverly starts to strum the guitar and shrugs. “It’s quieter this way,” she says with a laugh. Nicole laughs and allows her to continue, becoming mesmerized by the brunette’s fingers that move so smoothly across the strings. She feels her heart skip a beat as Waverly starts to sing. 

_ Hey where did we go?  _

_ Days when the rains came.  _

_ Down in the hollow,  _

_ playin’ a new game _

Nicole watches intently as brunette looks up from the guitar with a grin on her face, making eye contact with her. She feels herself smiling bigger until she feels it hurt in her cheeks. She doesn’t care though, the smile doesn’t leave her face.

_ Laughing and a running hey, hey, _

_ Skipping and a jumping _

_ In the misty morning fog with  _

_ Our hearts a thumpin’ and you  _

Waverly doesn’t lose eye contact. She continues to sing like Nicole is the only other person in the entire world and to Nicole, right now, that’s exactly the case. 

_ My brown eyed girl. _

_ You’re my brown eyed girl _

Waverly gives her a quick wink as she continues to sing. Nicole swears this is the moment where her heart actually does pound out of her chest. She swears Waverly can probably see the left side of her chest moving at a different pace from the rest.

Waverly barely finishes the song before Nicole pushes up from her position on the floor, capturing the brunette’s lips with her own. She feels the guitar pressed between them, bringing her hand down to remove it from their space, placing it gently on the floor next to them. She positions her body over Waverly’s, kneeling on the floor, straddling the brunette’s legs. Lips still connected, Nicole slides her hands behind Waverly’s head, fingers tangling in her light, brown hair. 

They continue to make out until someone needs to come up for air. Nicole isn’t sure who pulls back first, but when there’s finally a small amount of space between then, she finds herself gasping for air. She doesn’t waste much time before she’s closing the gap again, pressing another hard kiss against her girlfriend’s lips. 

She moves her hands down from their position on the back of Waverly’s head, no longer tangled in her hair, starting to explore more of her body as if it’s brand new to her. She hears Waverly suck in a breath of air as her left hand finds its way to the brunette’s chest over her shirt. She pulls back slightly, opening her eyes to read the brunette’s body language, finding herself gaining silent permission to continue.

She pulls back a little further, leaving just enough room for her to slide Waverly’s shirt over her head, discarding it beside them. She feels the brunette clawing at her shirt, lifting her arms to allow her to lift it over her head as well. Waverly lowers herself down, laying flat on her back on the blanket underneath them. Nicole starts to brace herself, placing her hands on either side of Waverly’s, flat against the floor. 

She slides herself up further over the brunette’s body, hand bumping into the empty plates from their dinner on the floor, making a loud clanging noise. Laughter starts to pour out of Waverly and Nicole looks to her side to see a couple of knocked over dishes next to them.

“Oops,” Nicole says, rolling over next to Waverly on the opposite side of the dishes. She laughs for a moment before leaning over the brunette to try to clean up the dishes.

“Leave them,” Waverly says, wrapping her fingers around Nicole’s wrist to stop her arm. 

Nicole redirects her gaze toward Waverly, who is laying flat on the floor, shirtless, looking up at her with hungry eyes. She smiles and nods, allowing the brunette to lead her hand back to her body. 

Tracing the lines of her girlfriend’s body gently with her finger tips, she leans back in to capture Waverly’s lips with her own. The further her hand travels south, the more she feels Waverly’s hips raise into her touch. She hears the brunette let out an audible sigh when she teasingly drags her fingers back toward the girl’s chest, rather than giving in and touching her where she clearly wants it most yet. 

“Nicoleee,” Waverly groans, head dropping further backwards. 

“Hmm?” Nicole asks, allowing her fingers to dance across the exposed skin on Waverly’s abs as she trails hot kisses down the exposed skin of Waverly’s throat.

“Stop teasing me.” 

Her tone is firm and assertive, Nicole likes it. 

“I thought you liked it?” 

“I do, but right now I just want you to touch me before I have to do it myself,” the girl warns. 

Nicole’s eyes widen and she feels herself becoming more turned on at the thought. “Damn. Don’t tease me,” she says.

“Nicole Rayleigh-”

A warning with her middle name included. She must mean business. 

“Okay, okay,” the redhead sighs. “Damn, you’re sexy when you’re authoritative,” she says as she starts to bring her hand further south on Waverly’s body again. 

“Only then?” Waverly asks, raising a suggestive eyebrow to the redhead. 

“Or all the time,” Nicole admits. She sits up on her knees for a moment, curling her fingers around the waistband of Waverly’s pants, sliding them down her legs. 

She takes a moment to take in the few of her mostly naked girlfriend, laying exposed on the blanket, waiting for her touch. 

She’s not sure if she lets out an audible moan or not, but the thought of touching Waverly starts to drive her just as crazy as it appears to be driving Waverly. The brunette gestures with one finger for her to come closer to her and she doesn’t waste any time before they’re kissing again. 

She allows her hand to slide up Waverly’s inner thigh, but only for a moment, careful not to continue to tease her too much. When she reaches the brunette’s center, she can tell just how much she really wanted to be touched. 

“Mm,” she says as she feels Waverly suck in another breath. 

Small moans of pleasure begin to escape her mouth in between kisses. Nicole finds a rhythm with her hand, feeling Waverly’s hips rocking against her hand with every moment. 

Waverly’s breathing begins to speed, almost as if she’s panting or trying to catch her breath. Moans escape her throat, urging Nicole to speed up her movements with her hand. 

“Wait,” Waverly says, causing Nicole to slow down for a moment. 

She feels Waverly’s hand suddenly slide between her legs. The brunette pushes her hand beneath the material of Nicole’s pants, immediately finding out how turned on she really is. Nicole lets out a gasp, hand movements faltering for a moment before she’s able to regain her rhythm. 

“Together,” Waverly breathes out. 

Nicole nods and mirrors the movements of Waverly’s fingers. Based on how turned on she is, it doesn’t take much for her to get close. A loud moan escapes her mouth as she speeds up her movements, her own hips thrusting against her girlfriend’s hand. 

After another moment, Nicole reaches down to steady Waverly’s hand, the brunette doing the same. Fingers linger for a moment, light touches sending bolt of electricity through the redhead’s body. She presses another hard kiss against Waverly’s lips before removing her hand from its current position, wrapping her arms tighter around her girlfriend. 

They lay like this for a moment, silent and still. Nicole closes her eyes, feeling her breathing now at a much calmer pace. Slowly opening her eyes, she watches as her girlfriend’s chest rises and falls with each breath she takes. 

“So I have something to show you,” Waverly finally says, breaking the silence of the moment. 

“What’s that?” Nicole asks. She doesn’t move from her position, continuing to hold Waverly as close to her own body as possible. 

Waverly presses a quick kiss against Nicole’s lips and gestures that she has to get up to show her. Nicole groans dramatically, not wanting to move, but doesn’t protest too much. She watches as Waverly stands from the floor and walks over to her backpack that’s sitting on the desk on the other side of the room. She pulls out an envelope and makes her way back to the blanket on the floor, quickly handing the envelope to Nicole. 

“Is this from the school you applied to in the city?” Nicole asks as she carefully studies the envelope. She sits up, leaning her back against the side of the bed. 

Waverly settles back onto the floor, pulling a blanket from the bed on top of her. “Maybe,” she says, a little nervously. 

“Baby!” Nicole exclaims with excitement. “You didn’t open it?” 

“No…”

“Why not?!” 

“What if I didn’t get in? It’s really early for college acceptance, maybe they’re just like ‘sorry, but no?’ It’s still early.” 

“Oh please,” Nicole scoffs. “You’re top of the class, Waves! It’s probably an early acceptance letter!” 

“That doesn’t mean they have to let me in,” the brunette huffs, crossing her arms across her chest. 

“No. But they’re be stupid not to! Come on, open it!” Nicole hands the envelope back to the brunette. She already knows what the letter says, there’s no way Waverly wouldn’t get into a college. If she didn’t, there would definitely be no hope for Nicole. 

“Okay, okay! She slowly peels back the paper on the envelope. I can’t look. You do it,” she says, closing her eyes. She shoves the envelope back at the redhead. 

“Are you sure?” Nicole asks. She doesn’t want to take this away from Waverly in any way. 

“Yeah,” Waverly says, calmly. 

Nicole nods and slowly removes the letter from the envelope. She can see the nerves pouring out of her girlfriend and starts to become a little more nervous herself. 

As she peels the letter open, she quickly reads the words to herself. 

‘We are pleased to announce your admission…’ is as far as she gets before she looks back up at her girlfriend who is staring intently at her in silence. 

“Baby, you got in!”

“I did?” Waverly asks, appearing to be in a bit of shock. 

“Yes!” Nicole cheers, opening her arms for Waverly. The brunette leans in, gladly accepting the embrace. 

“That’s where I want to go,” she says quickly. 

“You don’t want to even consider the other schools? This is the first one to get back to you,” Nicole reminds her, wanting her to weigh all her options before she makes a decision. 

“This was my first pick,” Waverly assures her. She’s now holding the letter, staring down at it as if she’s reading the words over and over. 

“Did you want to visit any other school?” 

“I want to go here,” the brunette says firmly, finally looking up to make eye contact with Nicole. 

“Okay, I’m not trying to deter you, I just want you to be sure,” Nicole assures her. 

“I’m sure, I’m so sure,” Waverly says, a smile growing bigger on her face. 

“Can I ask you something?” Nicole asks. She’s nervous to even bring it up, but she wants them to be open and honest with each other. 

“Anything.” 

“It’s not because of me, right?” 

“What do you mean?”

“You didn’t choose this school because you thought that I’d want to go to the city right?” She finds herself cringing at the question as it leaves her mouth, not wanting to start an argument. 

“I think I’d want to go regardless,” Waverly answers honestly. “Babe, I really loved it there. I know it seems impulsive, but I’m never impulsive so it must mean something, right? I just feel comfortable there,” she explains. “It’s where my mom grew up too, not just you.” 

Nicole nods, feeling more relieved. “And you won’t mind if I go too?”

“What?! Of course not!” Waverly leans her body more into Nicole, sliding her hand down to lace their fingers together. Nicole’s eyes trail down to their hands, starting to play with Waverly’s fingers.

“I know we don’t talk much about the future, and that’s probably mostly my fault,” she begins. “But I want you to know I’m serious about us. Whatever we choose after high school, wherever we end up, I want to still be with you. If you’ll have me.”

“I’ll have you forever if I can, Nicole Haught.” 

The words echo in her ears. Words she loves to hear. Words that make her heart beat out of her chest again. 

“I love you, Waverly Earp. And I’m in this thing. You and me, baby,” she says, kissing the brunette on the cheek. 

“You’re such a sap,” Waverly says, squeezing her hand. “But I love every minute of it.”

“Is this the part I’m supposed to ask you to marry me? Promise yourself to me for the rest of your life?” Nicole teases. 

Waverly giggles and playfully pushes her shoulder into the redhead’s body. 

“What is this? A teenage drama show?” She asks with a laugh. 

Nicole can’t help but laugh. There are times when that’s what it feels like, but the kind with the happy ending. The kind where the couple falls in love in high school and still makes it years down the road. 

They spend the rest of the night tangled in each other’s arms, fantasizing more about the future. They bring up having a house someday and a couple of kids. They argue back and forth about whether or not they’d have a cat or a dog before they settle for one of each. 

Nicole is surprised that that’s all they argued about, agreeing on most other aspects of what they want in life. It may be the fact that it’s all currently a fantasy, making it easy to say yes to several things that may never happen, but it sure is nice to dream. 


	27. Chapter 27

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for being patient with me, everyone! Life has been crazy lately, but I'm hopefully back into finishing this story soon!

Nicole wakes up one morning to the sound of birds chirping outside. The sun beams in through her window, something that she doesn’t feel like she’s seen in a while. The weather has been getting gradually warmer over the course of the past couple of weeks, but the mornings are usually still fairly cold. 

It’s finally spring time in Purgatory and spring break is right around the corner. Waverly and Chrissy have spent a great deal of time planning the perfect spring break trip for their group of friends before they graduate high school and go their separate ways. 

Nicole didn’t think she’d ever feel sad about graduation by high school, but she’s definitely had mixed emotions about it all lately. She’s excited to spend time with her friends camping, but each day that passes means one less day she gets to spend around her friends daily. 

The door to her bedroom slowly creeps open and Waverly tiptoes into the room as if she’s trying not to wake the redhead up. 

“This is something I could get used to,” Nicole hums, startling the brunette that is tiptoeing into the room 

“I’m sorry, did I wake you?” Waverly asks, climbing back into bed. 

Nicole lifts the blankets, allowing the brunette to curl up next to her. She immediately wraps her arms around Waverly’s small frame, pulling her Uh close. “No, the sun did,” she laughs. “But I don’t mind.” 

“Well I’m glad to see your eyes open,” Waverly says with a smile, booping Nicole on the nose with her finger. “What is it that you could get used to?”

“Waking up to you,” Nicole says, flashing her a dimpled smile. 

“Oh yeah?” Waverly raises an eyebrow to the redhead. Nicole nods and places a soft kiss on the brunette’s cheek. “Well, we do graduate in about a month and then we’ll be able to get a place together in the city.”

“That sounds amazing.” Nicole sighs at the thought of she and Waverly having their own place together with no interruptions from Chrissy or Wynonna. It’s going to be great. 

“So are you ready for spring break?!” Waverly asks. Nicole can tell she’s excited. She knows she’s put in a lot of time planning to be able to make it what she calls the best spring break trip ever. 

“More than you know,” she tells her. “I just have something I have to do with Randy today quick though, do you want to hang out tonight?”

“Yes! I have to go over last minute spring break plans with Chrissy anyway,” Waverly says. 

“You two are nerds,” Nicole teases, receiving a light slap on her arm in return.

“But you love us,” Waverly reminds her, pointing a finger toward her. 

“I do,” Nicole replies with a laugh. She has to admit, regardless of how Chrissy used to treat her, or how often they argue back and forth with each other, she’s really grown on her too. 

“So what is it that you have to do today?” Waverly finally asks, trying to get information out of her. 

Nicole shakes her head. “It’s a surprise!” Waverly instantly gives her a pouty lip, causing Nicole to laugh. “Oh no, not working,” she tells her.

“Does Chrissy know?” 

“Babe!”

“Okay, fine! But you better be ready to help us pack the cars tonight,” Waverly says, finally giving in.

“Tonight?” Nicole asks, slightly whining about the thought of having to pack. 

“Yes, tonight! We want to be ready to go in the morning!”

“Ugh, fine,” Nicole teases. 

Waverly rolls her eyes at the redhead. “Warning-” she says, pointing a finger at her. 

“I’m just kidding! Now come here and kiss me before we actually have to get up,” Nicole says, sliding her body closer to the brunette so they’re lying face-to-face, as close as humanly possible.

Waverly giggles, sliding her hand to the back of Nicole’s hand, fingers tangling in her red hair. She quickly closes the gap between their lips, upon Nicole’s request. 

**   
  
**

__________________

**   
  
**

As Nicole enters the house later that evening, she’s immediately approached by a semi frantic Chrissy. She greets her with a smile, hoping to not fall into the crossfire of whatever could be going on in the blonde’s head. 

“You’re finally home!” Chrissy says, stopping in her tracks in front of Nicole. 

“Yeah,” Nicole responds, still unsure of what is happening. “Your dad is still outside if you’re looking for him.” She gestures over her shoulder, toward the door. 

“No, I was looking for you!” 

Nicole gives her a confused look, then looks around her to be sure that she’s actually talking to her. It’s not that she and Chrissy don’t hang out, but never before has some completely bombarded her at the door when she got home. 

“Me?” She asks, finally making full eye contact with the other girl. 

Chrissy nods. “Yes. Can I ask you something?”

“Sure, what’s up?” She kicks off her shoes, making her way further into the house when the question Chrissy asks her throws her completely off guard. 

“How do you know if a guy wants to sleep with you?”

Nicole doesn’t respond, she just turns her head, blankly staring back at her foster sister. 

“Well, not a guy for you, I guess,” Chrissy shrugs. “But how did you know when anyone wanted to sleep with you?”

“Why would anyone not want to sleep with me?” Nicole retorts, smirking back at the blonde. 

Chrissy scoffs back at her, rolling her eyes. “I’m serious, Nicole!”

“Ugh,” the redhead huffs. She has a feeling the conversation isn’t going to end until she gives the girl some sort of answers. “Why are you asking me? Where’s Waverly for this? She’s your best friend. This is definitely something you should talk to her about.” She quickly tries to pass it off onto someone else. 

“Waverly is at home right now. She said she’ll be back soon, she’s grabbing her bags for the camping trip,” Chrissy answers. “And because Waverly has only slept with you and you… have more experience,” she says, pausing to find the words to say. 

“Nice way of putting it,” Nicole says with a laugh. She leans her elbow on the banister at the bottom of the stairs. She wants to make a run for the stairs, avoiding the rest of this conversation. She doesn’t feel like she’s close enough with Chrissy to discuss her sex life with her. 

“I’m not trying to be offensive, I just want to know,” Chrissy tells her, honestly.

“Okay.” Nicole lets out a sigh. “Why do you ask?”

“Charlie mentioned sharing our own tent on our camping trip,” she replies. Nicole senses a mixture of excitement and nerves coming from the blonde. 

“You know we’re staying in cabins, right?” Nicole asks, giving the girl a weird look. She’s the one who planned half of this trip. 

“Well, yeah,” Chrissy huffs. “But that’s not my point. Do you think he wants to be alone for, you know, certain reasons?”

“Well, what do you want?” Nicole asks. “I didn’t know you two were at that level.”

“We’re not exactly. We text a lot, sometimes talk about things, but neither of us have straight out mentioned anything more than making out.”

“Okay, maybe you ask him?” Nicole asks. She’s not really sure how to give someone advice on this topic. “Do you want to, you know, sleep with him?”

Chrissy’s eyes widen like she’s surprised by the question. Maybe she feels embarrassed for even thinking about it. Maybe she expected Nicole to give her more of a sisterly ‘make good choices’ talk. 

“I just mean, it’s up to you, Chrissy,” Nicole tries to explain. “Don’t do anything you’re not comfortable with.”

Chrissy pauses for a moment and smiles back at the redhead. “It’s not that I’m not comfortable with him, he’s a really good guy.”

“He really is.”

“But he doesn’t live here and part of me doesn’t want to get any closer to him in case it doesn’t actually go anywhere. That way I won’t get hurt.”

“Do you really believe that?” Nicole asks, boldly. 

Chrissy squints her eyes, glaring slightly back at her. Apparently that wasn’t the thing that she wanted to hear. 

“I just mean, you seem to really like him already,” Nicole explains. “So if something happens, it might hurt.”

“You’re right,” Chrissy sighs. She slumps down onto the bottom step next to Nicole’s feet. Nicole watches for a moment as the blonde drops her head into her hands, letting out another dramatic sigh. 

Nicole moves around to the other side of the blonde, taking a seat next to her. She places a sympathetic hand on the girl’s shoulder. Chrissy slowly lifts her head, looking over toward her foster sister. 

“Hey,” Nicole says, trying to comfort her. “I’m sorry, I was just-”

“No,” Chrissy says, stopping her from saying any more. “It’s not you. You’re right though, maybe I’m just being stupid because I don’t want to get hurt.”

“So you want to sleep with him?” Nicole asks, smirking at the blonde sitting next to her. 

Chrissy smiles back, cheeks blushing slightly. “Duh,” she says, shoving her shoulder into the redheads. 

Nicole laughs. “Then get it, girl,” she teases. Chrissy breaks out into laughter as the front door of the house swings open. Randy enters and stops in his tracks at the sight of the two girls sitting at the bottom of the stairs.

“What are you two laughing at?” he asks. 

“Nothing.” 

They speak in unison and quickly, hoping he doesn’t ask any more questions. Before he can ask anything else, Waverly shows up in the doorway behind him, knocking softly on the doorframe. 

“Knock, knock,” she says with a big, bright smile on her face. 

Nicole lights up and stands from her seat on the bottom step, making her way over to her girlfriend. “Hey, you,” she says, wrapping her arms around the brunette, pulling her in for a hug. “I missed you,” she whispers.

Waverly smiles up at her. “I missed you too.”

“Why don’t you show Waverly and Chrissy your surprise,” Randy says, breaking them from the little bubble that they’re in.

Waverly gives the redhead a confused look. “Surprise?” 

Nicole nods, wiggling her eyebrows back at her girlfriend. She gestures for Waverly and Chrissy to follow her outside to the front of the house. She leads them out of the door and over to the side of the house where there is a small patch of pavement, enough for a car.

She hears a gasp from Chrissy as they turn the corner around the house. 

“You got it!” she calls out. 

Waverly is quiet, but Nicole feels her squeeze her hand a little tighter. “Is that?” she points at the car sitting on the side of the house. 

It’s a slick, black, 1969 Ford Mustang. Its smooth edges and perfect paint job shine just right in what’s left of the sunlight. A smile grows across Nicole’s mouth as she nods, eyes locked on the car. It’s beautiful. Definitely something she never thought she would own. In fact, she was hesitant at first, but after some persuasion from Randy, she gave in.

“Yours?” the brunette asks. 

“It is,” Nicole says, as calmly as possible. 

“Wait,” the brunette pauses. She lets go of Nicole’s hand, spinning to face her instead. “Did you…?”

Before she can finish her sentence, Nicole reaches into her back pocket with her free hand, pulling her wallet out. She slips her hand away from Waverly’s for a moment to open her wallet and pull out a freshly printed card with an awful photo of her face on it. She pulls the card out and hands it over to her girlfriend.

“You got your license?!” The brunette squeals as she further examines it. 

Nicole nods, a proud smile plastered on her face as she watches the excitement pour out of Waverly. 

“Why didn’t you tell me?!” 

“I wanted to surprise you,” she explains. “And I didn’t want you to make it into a bigger deal than it is.”

“It is a big deal!” The brunette insists. “We should celebrate!”

“Babe,” Nicole groans. “We don’t need to celebrate for everything,” she whines. 

“But you got your license AND this beautiful car!” Waverly protests. 

Nicole has to admit, her girlfriend does have this way about her that almost convinces her there’s always a reason to celebrate. But at this point, all she wants to do is go on the camping trip with her and their friends. That’s all the celebration she needs. 

“Is it too much?” Nicole asks, taking another glance at her car. Maybe she should have gone with something more ‘her,’ or maybe more of what people would expect her to drive. But in all actuality, this is exactly the car that she’s always wished to see herself driving.

“Babe, it’s awesome!” Waverly assures her as they make their way over to the car. Nicole smiles at the sight of the beautiful car.

“How much did dad have to argue with you on this one?” Chrissy chimes in.

“I’m paying him back,” Nicole says, turning her head toward the blonde who is currently gawking at the sight of the car in front of her. 

“Is he letting you?”

“I’m persistent too,” Nicole says with a laugh.

“Touché!” Chrissy says, nodding her head in agreement. “Now that you have your own car, can I stop giving you rides?” she teases. 

Nicole feels her face become warm at the thought of owning something like that. She’s barely had a steady home for the majority of her life. Never in her wildest dreams did she think she’d have that and her own car. 

“That’s the point,” Nicole laughs. 

“You can give me rides,” Waverly says, shooting a wink in the redhead’s direction. “You can start by driving up to the camp tomorrow!”

“Damn, Waves, I thought you insisted on taking the Jeep!” Chrissy reminds her. 

“That was before my girl got a Mustang!” 

“Now she only wants you for your car,” Chrissy teases. 

Nicole laughs and shakes her head at the pair. “Let’s get your bags out of the Jeep then,” she says. 

Waverly nods and drags Nicole by the hand toward her Jeep, leaving Chrissy to continue checking out the Mustang. When they make their way up to Waverly’s Jeep, the brunette opens the trunk, gesturing toward a couple of very fully looking duffle bags. 

“Damn, Waves, we’re going for two nights not two weeks!” Nicole tells her. 

The brunette glares back at her and reaches in, taking one bag in each hand. “You never know,” she shrugs. 

Nicole reaches up and closes the trunk to Waverly’s Jeep before grabbing one of the duffle bags from her, carrying it over toward her own car. 

“You spent the last trip wearing my sweatshirt,” she teases.

“Oh, I have that packed too,” Waverly assures her, pointing a finger in her direction. 

Nicole laughs, shaking her head at her girlfriend. They carefully place the bags in Nicole’s car. She assumes Chrissy went back inside since she’s no longer anywhere to be found. 

“Have you packed?” Waverly asks. 

Nicole doesn’t respond. She turns her head, avoiding eye contact with the brunette who she can tell is glaring back at her.

“Babe!” 

“I’ve been busy!” Nicole tries to protest.

Waverly groans, rolling her eyes at the redhead. “Fine, I’ll help,” she says as she pulls on Nicole’s arm again, dragging her back toward the house. 

**   
  
**

—————-

**   
  
**

The next morning, Waverly shakes Nicole awake before the sound of her alarm can rudely steal her from her sleep. Nicole doesn’t mind so much when the shaking is quickly replaced with kisses all over her face. She can’t help but smile as she squints her eyes open to see an overly excited brunette hovering over her on the bed. 

“Is it morning already?” she teases as she pushes up to catch Waverly’s lips with her own.

“Almost time for our trip!” Waverly cheers. 

Nicole laughs, lifting her arms over her head to stretch out her body that is stiff from sleeping. She shivers when she feels Waverly’s nail drag across her slightly exposed torso. 

“Keep doing that and we’re going to have to postpone the trip,” the redhead playfully warns. 

“Fine,” Waverly groans as she pulls Nicole’s shirt back down. “Then put those things away!” She playfully slaps Nicole’s abs, making the redhead laugh.

After a few more moments of laying wrapped in each other’s arms, the pair climb out of the bed to get ready for their trip. Nicole is grateful for her girlfriend basically packing her bag for her the night before. She chose to veto all of the extra pieces of clothing for the reason of “just in case,” knowing very well that she wasn’t going to need that many extra pairs of pants. 

When they make their way downstairs, Nicole is surprised to see Chrissy already outside by the cars. She’s less surprised when she sees the blonde, leaning up against her car, with Charlie standing in front of her with his arms wrapped around her. 

“Man, it’s way too early for this PDA,” Nicole calls out to her foster sister, immediately receiving a glare in return. 

“Sure, you two should talk,” Chrissy retorts. 

“Oh, leave them alone,” Waverly huffs, pushing Nicole with her hip. 

“Finally!” a voice comes from the other side of the driveway. Nicole turns her attention to her left to see Mattie and Gretta walking toward them. “I thought we were going to have to keep watching these two make out,” Mattie huffs, opening her arms for a hug. 

Nicole laughs as she pulls her friend in for a hug. “Hey guys,” she says, offering a hug to Gretta as well. 

They are soon joined by Charlie and Chrissy and the group discuss the plan for their trip to the campgrounds. It’s not long before Jeremy, Robin and Rosita show up and the group breaks off into the cars to leave on their trip. 

Nicole is a little nervous to drive her new car for the first time other than a test drive and the trip home, but at the same time, she’s full of excitement. Mattie and Gretta quickly called dibs on riding in the backseat, causing everyone else to divide into either Robin’s or Chirssy’s car. 

They pull into the camp grounds about a half an hour later. Part of her still can’t believe they were able to rent it out for just a few people, rather than an entire high school senior class. But then again, the other part of her knows she should stop being surprised over things like this. 

She parks the car in a nearby parking lot, remembering back to when the bus dropped them off for their class trip. She remembers not even wanting to go on the trip in the first place. She remembers stepping off the bus, unsure of how the weekend was going to go, but sure she didn’t want to try to avoid Waverly as much as possible.

This time, she quickly makes her way around to the passenger side of the car, opening the door for the brunette. Waverly smiles back at her. She steps out of the car and pushes up on her toes to kiss Nicole on the cheek.

“I’ve always wanted to do that,” Nicole says, sheepishly. 

“You’re the cutest,” Waverly squeals, taking Nicole’s hand in her own, lacing their fingers together. 

“Okay, can you two get any more adorable?” Mattie asks as she hops out of the backseat of the car. 

Gretta laughs as she heads around to the trunk to retrieve their bags. “Oh please, don’t challenge them,” she teases. 

Moments later, the other car pulls up next to theirs, carrying the rest of their friends. Nicole pauses next to Waverly, watching as the others pile out of the car. She watches as her friends from the city look around them, taking in the views of the wooded area, as she did when she first came here.

“So this is where you guys went for your senior trip?” Charlie asks, looking around himself in awe.

“Uh huh,” Chrissy says, nonchalantly. Clearly this is nothing new to her. 

“Man, we’re lucky if our school does a lunch for us in the local park!” Gretta chimes in. 

“The only lucky part about that was that we didn’t have to be in school,” Charlie says, grinning from ear to ear. 

“True that, my friend!” Mattie says, putting out a fist toward the man. Charlie laughs and bumps his fist against Mattie’s.

“I bet this is a lot different than having the whole class here though,” Gretta says.

“It’s much better, if you ask me,” Jeremy adds. 

“Man, Chetri, tell us how you really feel about our class,” Rosita teases. 

“I just mean we get to spend the weekend with the people we want to spend it with,” Jeremy says with a shy shrug. Robin smiles back at the boy, wrapping his arm around him from behind. 

**** **   
**

The group collects their bags and heads down the path toward the cabins. It doesn’t take long before everyone claims a bunk once they’ve made it inside. Nicole and Waverly don’t even waste time taking up two different beds, knowing very well that they’re going to be sleeping in the same bed. 

They spend the rest of the afternoon showing their friends around the camp, deciding on what they wanted to spend their time doing. Nicole was much less hesitant about taking the boats out on the lake this time. It didn’t look like rain this time, but part of her wouldn’t have minded spending another day out on the water getting rained on, as long as she was with Waverly. 

She notices Chrissy and Charlie disappear around to the other side of the lake at one point, but doesn’t bother to call them out on it. She’s more focused on spending her last high school spring break with Waverly. 

After they bring the boats back in to the shore, Mattie and Charlie are adamant on shooting basketballs around. They’re soon joined by Robin, but the rest of the group decide to sit this one out. 

“Two on two then?” Charlie challenges. 

“Alright, but I get Nicole,” Mattie says, quickly. 

“Girls versus guys then,” Nicole says. 

The boys agree and it becomes more competitive than Nicole intended. She laughs when Charlie becomes more frustrated with every shot that she makes. 

“Game point,” she taunts as she dribbles the ball back down the court. Charlie squares up to her, a serious look on his face that makes her laugh to herself. This isn’t the first time Nicole and Charlie have gone head to head on the basketball court. If there’s one thing she knows about him, it’s that he absolutely hates to lose. But one thing about Nicole is that she loves to beat him. 

The encouraging sound of Waverly’s cheers fill her ears as she begins to dribble toward him, feet stopping to fake him out before turning toward her left, sliding by him to bring the ball up for a layup. 

“And that’s game,” she says, a hint of cockiness in her voice. 

“Fuck you, Haught,” Charlie huffs. 

“Oh, come on!” She says, putting her hand out for him to shake it. 

“Whatever,” he says as he shakes her hand. “Next time I’ll beat you.” 

“Sure,” she says with a laugh. 

The group decides they’re finally getting hungry and decide to head back for food. The sun is still bright in the sky and the air is a lot warmer than it was the first time they were there. They settle in on a picnic table outside of their cabin to eat.

Dinner is full of casual conversation between the group. They talk about starting a fire in the pit after they eat, a perfect ending to a great day. 

The fire is roaring and Nicole takes a seat next to her girlfriend on a nearby log. She wraps her arms around the brunette who is wearing the sweatshirt that Nicole let her wear the first time they were sitting around a fire together. 

“Nothing like a campfire and a clear night,” Nicole says with a sigh.

“Just think, Haught, last time we were headed here, you wanted to get out of it!” Rosita says, snorting out a laugh. 

Nicole gives Rosita a warning look. She glances over at her girlfriend, then back at her friend.

“Why did you try getting out of it? This place rocks!” Charlie states. 

“Well,” she gives Waverly another look. The girl makes brief eye contact with her before looking down toward the ground. 

“I was stubborn,” Nicole says.

“But then she ended up going and making out with Waverly by the fire,” Chrissy spills. Nicole catches a smirk forming on Waverly’s face. 

“How did that happen?”

“Well it wasn’t the first time they made out,” Chrissy adds. 

Nicole shakes her head at how easily Chrissy is just spilling the tea on her life right now. “Okay, okay no need to walk that far down memory lane,” Nicole warns. 

“Awe, come on, baby, it was sweet,” Waverly says. 

“Not the stuff in between,” she huffs, partially under her breath. She cringes at the thought of reliving the memory of the first time they kissed and the fight that immediately followed; the constant attempts to avoid the brunette after that; the argument in the parking lot of the town fall festival. 

She thinks that Waverly must feel her uneasiness when she feels the brunette squeeze her shoulder with her hand. “Well, we don’t need to talk about that,” she says with a sweet smile. “Let’s just say, it took us a little time to come to our senses,” she adds with a wink. 

“Us?” Nicole teases.

“Okay, me,” Waverly admits. 

“You’re worth the wait,” Nicole whispers loudly as she leans in toward the brunette, kissing her on the cheek. 

“Gag,” Chrissy says. 

Waverly rolls her eyes at her friend. “But that kiss by the fire,” she whispers in Nicole’s ear. The redhead feels a shiver work it’s way down her spine. “Mm.”

Nicole can’t help but grin at the comment, wishing she could just be alone with the brunette for a little while. Despite her wishes, they continue talking with their friends. As time goes by and the fire star starts to die down, their friends start to retire to their cabins, eventually leaving Waverly and Nicole alone.

“Are you tired?” Nicole asks. 

“No,” Waverly says as she leans further into Nicole, festering her head on the redhead’s shoulder. “I want to stay like this a little longer.” 

“We can stay like this as long as you want, baby.” 

She hears a soft giggle come from Waverly, who wraps her arms tighter around the redhead’s middle. “Do you ever think back to that night?” 

“What night?” Nicole hums.

“The night I finally gave into my feelings for you.” 

“Yeah, sometimes,” she admits. “That was the first day I think I really let you in.”

“You showed me your drawings for the first time.” 

“After that fight at the carnival, I guess I was just ready to let whatever happens happen,” Nicole admits . “I wasn’t ready to lose you, so I’d take whatever I could get from you.” 

“So you weren’t just saying those things so I’d kiss you again?” 

“What? No!” She says. “I meant every word and wanted you to hear it. I wanted you to see what I see. I still do.” 

“You really are incredible,” Waverly says as she tilts her head up toward Nicole’s. She presses a hard kiss against the redhead’s lips, catching her off guard. 

“Where did that come from?” 

“I just look at you and I wonder how I ended up so lucky to cross paths with you so early in life,” Waverly sighs. “I look at you and I feel the safest I’ve ever felt, I feel the happiest I’ve ever been, I look at you and I know that you’re the only person I want to look at for the rest of my days.” 

Nicole’s stomach fills with butterflies as she searches for a reply. When she can’t find words perfect enough for the moment, she just leans back in, kissing her again. 

“Don’t ever leave me, Nicole Haught,” the brunette whispers as she pulls back slightly from Nicole’s lips. 

“Where you go, I go.”

Nicole presses her forehead against Waverly’s, enjoying the silence of the moment. After a moment, there’s a sound of rustling coming from the woods behind them.

“Are you two going to spend all night out here?” A voice comes from out of the darkness, startling them a bit.

“Rosita, you’re going to give me a heart attack!” Nicole says, pressing her hand to her chest as the brunette steps closer to them, the glow of the fire making it easier for them to see her. 

“Man Haught, I didn’t ever think I’d be the one to stop your heart,” Rosita teases. 

“Ha ha,” Nicole huffs. “What are you doing lurking around in the woods, anyway?”

“I’m not lurking.” She looks around her. She’s definitely up to something. 

Nicole narrows her eyes at the brunette, trying to get a read on her. Suddenly there’s a cracking sound in the distance that startles her again. She feels Waverly grab her hand tighter as they peer into the darkness. 

“What was that?” Nicole asks. 

Rosita shrugs, but doesn’t seem concerned. Suddenly there’s another shadowy figure appearing into their eyesight. 

“Mattie?”

“Uh Hey guys,” she says with a smile on her face and a wave of her hand. 

Nicole looks back and forth between the two girls a few times before her eyes settle on Rosita’s. “Were you two?...” 

She points back and forth between the pair. Mattie looks at the ground, avoiding eye contact. 

Rosita just shrugs her shoulders at her friend. “A girl’s got needs!”

Waverly breaks into laughter, wrapping her arm around Nicole from behind her. Nicole continues to stare at her friends, unsure of how she feels about it. 

“Well, we’re gonna go,” Mattie says, awkwardly, pushing Rosita forward in the direction of the cabin. 

Nicole just nods at them, still unsure of what to say. 

“Goodnight!” Waverly says with a wave, receiving ‘Goodnights’ back from the girls as they disappear back into the darkness. 

“That was...weird,” Nicole says. 

Waverly laughs and buries her head into the redhead’s chest. “You’re just matchmaking all over the place,” she teases. 

“Shut up,” Nicole scoffs, causing another giggle to pour out of the brunette. She rolls her eyes and shakes her head, attempting to get the thought of all of her friends hooking up with each other out of her head. 

“Oh, stop,” Waverly warns in a playful tone. “They didn’t have a problem with us.”

“True,” she huffs. “Fine. So, did you want to stay out here all night? It’s a pretty warm night,” she asks, changing the subject. 

“You’re not afraid of the bears, city girl?” Waverly lifts her head so Nicole can see her face in the glow of the fire. She lifts her eyebrows, playfully.

“There’s bears?” she asks, trying not to sound too nervous. 

“I’m just kidding, Nicole,” she laughs. “There’s no bears out here.”

“I knew that,” Nicole responds, quickly. “Okay then, I have an extra blanket in my car. We could sleep under the stars.” 

“Now who’s overly prepared?” the brunette teases. 

“I just don’t want this to end yet.”

“I feel that,” Waverly says with a sigh. “We still have tomorrow night,” she reminds her. 

Nicole nods in response. She feels Waverly lean her head back into her chest. She rests her chin on Waverly’s head, finding herself zoning out as she stares at the crackling fire. 

“You okay?” Waverly’s voice brings her back to reality. 

“Perfect,” she says with a smile. 

They stay like this for a few more moments, enjoying the silence of the night. The only sound to fill her ears is the crackling of what’s left of the fire and the soft sound of the wind, rustling in the trees. After a few yawns that they can no longer stifle, they decide to retire back to the cabin for the night instead.

****   
  


The next morning, Nicole wakes to the sound of people moving around in the cabin. She internally groans at the thought of having to leave the warmth of Waverly’s body pressed against her under the blankets. The soft sound of Waverly snoring next to her stops and she watches as the brunette’s eyes slowly open. She feels her heart skip a beat at the sight, something she will always love to see in the morning. 

“Good morning,” she whispers.

A smile grows across Waverly’s face. “Mm, good morning,” she hums as she stretches her back, pressing her torso further into Nicole’s body. 

Nicole presses a soft kiss on her girlfriend’s forehead. The sound of people moving around becomes louder and she rolls over to see mostly everyone is out of bed already. 

“Haught, you wanna go on a coffee run?” Charlie asks, shaking the bunk bed a little. 

“A coffee run?” she asks, confused. 

“By that he means he really wants to just drive your car,” Chrissy explains. 

“I figured there was an ulterior motive,” she laughs. She nods in agreement, pressing a kiss on Waverly’s lips before rolling out of bed. She reaches into her bag and pulls out a blue flannel, throwing it on over her black t-shirt. “Do you mind? I guess we’ll get coffee,” she asks her girlfriend, who is now climbing out of bed as well.

“That’s fine, baby,” Waverly says. “Go show off your car,” she adds with a wink, slapping Nicole playfully on the ass. 

Nicole laughs and looks over at Charlie who looks like an excited child, waiting for her by the door of the cabin. 

“We’ll be quick,” she says as she looks back at Waverly. 

“Take your time,” Waverly assures her. She wraps her arms around the redhead’s waist, pulling her in for a kiss. 

“Thanks, babe,” Nicole says when they pull away from the kiss. “I love you, I’ll be back soon.”

“Text us your coffee orders,” Charlie calls out to the group as the pair heads out the door of the cabin, making their way over to Nicole’s car. “Thanks, dude,” he says. 

“Sure,” Nicole says with a laugh. “Take her for a spin,” she tells him, handing over the keys to her friend when they make it to the parking lot.

“This car is so sweet!” the boy cheers. Nicole laughs and hops into the passenger side of the car. 

Charlie turns the key, starting the engine. Nicole watches as he enjoys every moment of it. It’s been a while since she’s had time alone with her friend, so she’s grateful for it. He’s always been a good friend to her, ever since they were kids, and she appreciates still having him in her life even if she did basically drop off the face of the earth for a little while.

They drive down the empty road with the top down, the wind blowing in their hair. She soon hears her phone buzz with a list of coffee orders from the rest of their friends. She looks down for a moment, reading the text out loud to Charlie. He laughs at the differences in each of the orders as she reads them. 

She feels the car slowing down, glancing up to see they are approaching a redlight. Before they make it fully to the light, it turns green. She hears the car accelerate as Charlie speeds up to cross through the intersection. She looks back down to finish reading the text as they head underneath the streetlight that hangs above them. 

Suddenly, the sound of screeching tires fill her ears. She looks to her right, noticing a large, blue pickup truck rolling toward them. The tires continue to squeal as if the driver tries to bring the car to a stop, swerving slightly, but it’s not enough. 

It feels as if time slows down and she sees the inevitable about to happen. She tries to scream, but nothing comes out. She braces herself for the impact, unsure of what else to do. She closes her eyes tightly.

Everything goes black.

** _Slam!_ **


	28. Chapter 28

Nicole opens her eyes to see the world around her. There are trees that canopy over the road. It’s quiet. Very quiet. She realizes she’s laying flat on her back on the road. The hard, rough pavement underneath her doesn’t really bother her as she takes in the scenery for another moment. She hears birds chirping in the distance and other woodland creatures running around between the trees. There’s a slight wind that rustles the leaves; everything feels harmonious with nature, not a single thing feels out of place.

She sucks in a deep breath, filling her lungs with as much air as they can hold, closing her eyes again in the process, before pushing the air back out into the world around her. 

She decides to return to her feet. She’s not sure how long she’s actually been laying down. Now that she thinks about it, she’s not even sure how she got there. 

There’s a sudden pain in her left side, bad enough to make her wince, grabbing where it hurts with her hand. The quietness of the world around her is abruptly disrupted with sounds that now fill her head. She can’t quite make out what they are or where they’re coming from. She covers her ears with her hands, hoping it will make it stop.

There’s yelling, commands that confuse her more. She feels like she’s surrounded by people while she’s standing all alone near the woods. She looks around her again, trying to find something that she recognizes. All she can see for miles besides nature is a single traffic light hanging over a nearby, empty intersection of the road.

She tries to think again. Where is she? How did she get here? Who was she with? The sounds in her head become loud again. There’s a sudden pain in her chest, followed by an unbearable heat. She looks down, there’s nothing there. She’s dressed in a pair of Purgatory High School sweatpants and a black tee shirt that’s covered by a blue, open flannel. 

Nothing looks out of the ordinary with her appearance, but nothing about this scene feels ordinary. 

The sounds in her head are quieter now. There’s still the low hum of talking around her, but it doesn’t appear that there’s been another person in the area for a while. 

Suddenly it’s hard to breathe. She grabs her chest with her hand, sucking in as deep of a breath as she possibly can. A steady beeping begins in her ears. She closes her eyes tightly, hoping that when she opens them she will be somewhere she recognizes with people she knows.

Waverly. Where’s Waverly?

She’s back at the camp. She didn’t go for the drive.

Memories start to flood her mind. She went on a drive with Charlie. A coffee run. She looks for her phone, but it’s not where to be found. She tries to remember what everyone wanted to drink. 

“Charlie?!” She calls out, suddenly worried that something bad happened to him. 

There’s no answer. She shuts her eyes again. She sees flashes of a blue pickup truck coming toward her, broken glass, screeching tires, blood.

An accident. 

There was an accident.

But where’s her car? What happened to her car? And what about the truck?

“Charlie?!”

When there’s still no answer, she starts to walk.  
  


She’s not sure how long she’s been walking when she hears footprints in the nearby woods. She originally decided to take the pavement, hoping that if someone was in the woods, she was far enough to run before they could get to her. But as soon as there was a cracking sound of a stick coming from the woods next to her, she froze.

“Charlie?” she asks into the unknown, quieter this time.

There’s still no answer, but a figure starts to appear through the trees. She is still frozen, like her feet are stuck in cement. She squints her eyes, rubbing them quickly with her hands. Now she’s sure she’s seeing things. 

She can now make out a full view of a man walking toward her. He’s tall and lanky, probably at least four inches taller than her. The closer he gets, the more she can see his fiery red hair in the sunlight. A soft smile appears on his face, dimples and all.

“Dad?” she barely chokes out. “Oh, now I must be dreaming,” she says quietly to herself. 

“Hello, Nicole,” the man says. The greeting is warm and inviting. It almost feels like something she’s heard him say her entire life. He feels familiar, not like someone she hasn’t seen in almost a decade. There are days where she feels like she’s forgetting what her father even looks like, but this is exactly how she has always remembered him in her mind. 

“I’m dead, aren’t I?” she asks. The words shock her as they leave her mouth.

Her father shakes his head at her. 

What a relief.

The ghost of her father is standing in front of her trying to convince her that she’s not dead. This entire thing is a lot to swallow. 

“Then I’m definitely dreaming."

He shakes his head again. 

“What is this, then?” She feels herself becoming more frustrated. “Some sort of Christmas Carol alternate universe? Are you the ghost of my past?” 

“Well…” the man says with a laugh. 

“I mean, you’re definitely a ghost from my past. But why are you here?” 

“Man, is that really the way you greet your dear old dad after all these years?” 

“I’m sorry, but it’s not everyday that I’m confronted by the ghost of my father. If you’ve started to haunt me now, you picked a weird time,” Nicole says. 

“You get your sarcasm from your mother, I swear,” the man tells her. 

“I don’t get that from you?” Truthfully, she always wished that most of her traits came from her father. She wants nothing to do with the thought of being anything like a woman that would disown her family. 

“No, you get your good looks from me,” he says with a wink. 

“Mom is not going to pop out of here somewhere, is she?” Nicole asks, nervously looks around her. “That one I don’t think I’m ready for.” She sighs and shoves her hands into the pockets of her sweatpants. 

He laughs. “No, I don’t think so.” 

“So really though, why are you here? Wait, I really am dead, aren’t I?” 

“You’re not dead, Nicole.” 

She breathes a sigh of relief. “So where is everyone else then? This place looks like a ghost town.” She cringes at her choice of words. “No offense.” 

“None taken,” he laughs. “Everyone is at the hospital.” 

“The hospital? Are they okay? Where’s Waverly?” she begins to panic, forgetting where she was again. How did she get there? Everything blurs again in her mind. 

The beeping in her ears becomes louder. 

“They’re fine. Waverly is fine,” her dad assures her. She feels him place his hands on her shoulders. The weight of his palms instantly calming her. “Just breathe.” 

“There was an accident. Charlie was driving. We took my new car out for a ride,” she begins to fully remember. “A truck came out of nowhere. It didn’t stop. It couldn’t stop.” She feels a tightness in her chest, the beeping in her head speeds up.

“Nicole you need to try to calm down.” 

“I just don’t understand what this is. Where am I? Where’s Charlie? Is he okay?” She continues to ask questions.   
  
  


“And follow my finger with your eyes,” a doctor says to the boy sitting in front of her.

“Charlie.” 

She looks around her, confused as to how she got to the hospital. She sees her friend sitting on a stretcher, behind a curtain, facing a doctor.

  
  


There’s a bandage on his head, just above his left eye and his right wrist is wrapped as well. He follows the doctor’s finger as she moves it back and forth in front of him. She repeats the directions, but this time with a small light in his face. He cringes at first, but follows the light anyway.

  
  


Nicole tries to call out to him. She can’t. Her throat is suddenly dry. She wants to run up to him; to make sure he’s okay. She can’t. Her feet suddenly feel like they’re glued to the floor, like she’s moving through molasses and nothing in her is strong enough.

  
  
  


“Good,” the doctor says. You’re doing great, Charlie. “Just a few more tests.” 

“Look, with all due respect, Miss, I’m fine. I really just want to see it friend.”

“I’m afraid she’s not out of surgery yet,” the doctor states.

  
  
  


Surgery? There’s a sudden pain in her chest. Nicole brings her hand to the area, pressing hard in attempts to relieve some of the pain. 

“I have to go.” She says, quickly. Suddenly able to move her feet again, she pushes past the curtain that’s separating her friend from the rest of the patients in the area. 

The sound of beeping and panic fills her ears. She covers her ears with her hands as tightly as she can, attempting to stop the noise. It doesn’t work. The sound becomes louder and faster. 

Her heart feels like it’s about to pound out of her chest. She turns quickly to find someone, anyone who can help her. As she turns she feels her body crash hard against someone. She looks up to see the figure of her father, enveloping her into his arms. 

“Breathe,” he says. His voice is calm.

Why is he so calm? What is happening? How did she get here? She was just in the middle of nowhere.

“How am I supposed to breathe right now, dad?” She pushes off of her father, separating herself from him. 

She starts walking down the busy hospital hallway. She calls out to a few random people; waves in their faces. Nothing. They can’t see her.

“What is this?!”

She leans up against a nearby wall, sliding down until she’s sitting on the floor. She brings her knees as close to her body as possible, leaning her head into her hands. She tries to focus on her breathing, the beeping in her head slows. It’s not as loud anymore. She hears her father’s footsteps as he makes his way up next to her. She can see his feet, but doesn’t look up at him.

“Why are you here?”

“You’re hurt, Nicole.”

“I know that, dad,” she huffs. She’s not trying to become upset with him, but she also doesn’t need to be reminded of what she already knows. “But there’s clearly nothing we can do about that right now.”

“I don’t know if that’s fully true.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?” She finally tilts her head up, seeing the tall, redheaded man looking back down at her. 

Just then, the sound of people rushing into the front door of the hospital causing her to look to her right. She immediately stands to her feet when she realizes she recognizes the people. 

“Guys!” she calls out, forgetting that they can’t hear her. That doesn’t stop her from running up to them. She hovers nearby as Waverly rushes to the front desk, asking about Nicole’s whereabouts. 

  
  


“Are you family?” the woman behind the desk asks. 

“She’s my girlfriend,” Waverly says, quickly, panic filling her voice. 

“Miss, I’m afraid we can only speak to immediate family about-”

“She’s my sister,” Chrissy basically yells out from behind Waverly. She has her phone in her hand. “I’m trying to call our dad. We were camping for spring break, he’s home.”

  
  


Everything in Nicole wants to take Waverly into her arms in this moment and tell her that it's going to be okay. But she can’t. She doesn’t even know if that’s the truth. That’s something she knows she can’t promise anyone in this moment, not even herself. 

She stands close behind the girl, hoping to be able to give her some sort of comfort knowing that she’s there. She’s right there. Maybe if Waverly looks hard enough, maybe if Nicole can surround Waverly with the amount of love she has for her, maybe, just maybe, she can feel that she’s there with her.

Before she can reach out and try to rest her hand on the brunette’s shoulder, she hears the voice of her father come from behind her. 

“This is her?”

“Waverly,” she says, not taking her eyes off of the brunette. There’s so much sadness in the girl that she wishes she could just make all go away for her. 

“Tell me about her.”

Nicole breaks her stare on the brunette to turn to face her father. This feels like a conversation she’s always dreamed of. She’s always thought about what it would be like to tell her parents about the love of her life. Not her foster parents, or whoever she was living with at the time, but her birth parents; the people that are responsible for bringing her into this world. More specifically, she always wanted to talk to her dad about it.

A smile forms across her face. She feels herself becoming more calm, barely noticing that the beeping in her ears continues. 

“She’s wonderful,” she begins, her smile only grows bigger. She sees her father gesture for her to join him in a couple of chairs on the far end of the waiting room. She turns back to see Waverly and their other friends are now sitting in chairs as well. 

Nicole takes a seat next to her father, leaning back a bit in the seat. She has trouble peeling her eyes off of Waverly, wanting to make sure she’s okay at all times. Well, as okay as she can be at a time like this. 

“How did you meet?”

“Purgatory High School,” she says, cringing at the thought of her father possibly judging the fact that she lives amongst the people that he took her to see when he tried to teach her a lesson when she was younger. “Moving to Purgatory was my last resort.”

“Well, it seems like you’ve made quite the impression on people,” he says, gesturing toward the group of friends waiting for her to get out of surgery. 

She nods. She’s still unsure about what she did to deserve a group of people to care about her like that. Part of her still thinks she doesn’t deserve it at times. 

“They’re great,” she says. “But Waverly,” she continues. “Waverly is...special.” She’s unsure of what other word to use to describe the brunette. “She’s different. She’s smart and she’s incredibly kind. She’s funny, she’s strong-willed and she believes in me more than I have ever believed in myself.” 

She pauses for a moment, looking back at her father. He’s watching her, attentively as every word comes out of her mouth. 

“She’s extremely gorgeous,” she adds with a smirk. Her father laughs, shaking his head at his daughter’s humor.

“You sound like you’ve found yourself a good one,” he tells her. 

“Some days I wonder what she’s doing with me,” she admits. “I try not to, but it’s always there, in the back of my head, taunting me. You know? I’m this kid from the city who was dealt a pretty shitty hand of cards. So far, I’ve just taken it as it comes but Waverly, I’ve always thought she’s better than that. She doesn’t deserve to have to take it as it comes. She doesn’t deserve to have to sit here in a hospital waiting room, wondering whether or not I’m alive.”

“And you think you deserve that kind of life, Nicole?”

“I guess I’m just more used to it.”

“No one should be used to disappointment.”

He reaches his hand over, placing it on her knee. She feels some of her tension ease, like he’s suddenly able to make her feel better. It’s like she’s always imagined having him around still would be like. He always did try with her. 

“Maybe you’re too hard on yourself,” he says. “They say things happen for a reason. Maybe you found her for a reason.”

“But what’s the reason I’m in the operating room of a hospital right now?” Nicole huffs. “What’s the reason I’m sitting here seeing all of them, but they can’t see me? What’s the reason I’m talking to my dead father right now?”

“You know I don’t have all those answers if you don’t,” her father says. 

Nicole doesn’t speak. She just takes in the words that she’s hearing come out of his mouth. She closes her eyes and takes a deep breath in, hoping to just make it all go away for even a second. She doesn’t want to see her girlfriend sitting on the other side of the room, clearly in pain. She doesn’t want to see her friends, who are hurting too, trying to console her. She doesn’t want to hear that there are no answers right now. She doesn’t want to keep hearing the beeping in her ears that hasn’t stopped since she woke up on the road.

When she finally opens her eyes, she’s no longer in the waiting room sitting next to her father. She’s no longer anywhere near her friends or her girlfriend. 

She’s alone in a room with a large, glass window that overlooks an operating room. She moves toward the glasses, placing her hands flat against the surface; her face is close to the glass as she peers into the room below. 

The sight below shocks her more than she was ready for. She sees herself on the operating table, surrounded by surgeons and other medical personnel. The sight is hard to swallow. 

She’s seeing herself in a way she’s never seen herself before. Her life is at the hands of a bunch of strangers; people she’s never seen before. She can’t take her eyes off of the scene below, but the more she watches, the more she feels her heart race increase. 

She suddenly can’t breathe. She feels like her heart is going to pound out of her chest; like her throat is closing. She looks around her. She’s still alone. She wishes for nothing more in this moment than to have her dad next to her, telling her to breathe. 

He’s not there. She doesn’t know where he is or how she got here. She looks back down into the operating room, she’s seen enough. She turns quickly, leaving the room, finding herself back in the hospital hallway. 

She follows the exit signs toward the front door. She needs fresh air. She needs to be anywhere but that room again.

When she makes her way outside, she finds it a little easier to breathe. She tries to suck fresh air into her lungs, but it doesn’t feel possible. She still doesn’t see her father anywhere. 

Maybe he’s gone. Maybe he left her there to figure it out on her own. She’s still not clear about what’s going on. 

She turns to her left when she hears a familiar voice from a distance. 

  
  


“Wynonna, what are you doing out here?” Rosita asks. She gives the older Earp a confused look. 

The brunette rolls a cigarette between her fingers. Without words, she shrugs her shoulders at her friend, then looks back down toward the ground. 

“You’re smoking?”

“Don’t be stupid, I’m not smoking. I’m pregnant.” She points down at her stomach as if it’s something that Rosita missed. 

  
  


Nicole laughs at the comment. She’s always appreciated Wynonna’s humor. But there’s something different about her at this moment. She doesn’t seem like she’s trying to be funny. She just seems...hurt.

  
  


“Then what’s with the cigarette?” Rosita spits. 

“Calms the nerves,” Wynonna says. She finally looks up at her friend, giving her a small smirk. 

“Why aren’t you inside?”

“Yeah, no thanks.”

“Why not?”

The older Earp pauses for a moment, staring back at her friend. She looks toward the door of the hospital, then back down toward the ground. “I’m not going in there to watch Haught die.”

  
  


The words cut deep. 

Is she going to die? Does Wynonna know something she doesn’t? Maybe she’s already halfway there and this isn’t all just a dream. Maybe this is reality and she’s stuck in the in between because she has unfinished business on earth. 

Her breathing becomes heavy again. She leans against the outside wall of the hospital, grabbing her chest in pain. 

“Nicole, what did I tell you about remaining calm?” Her father's voice says to her. She turns slightly to see his feet on the ground next to her. 

“Sure, now you show up,” she huffs, not bothering to even look up at him. 

“I’m here when you need me.” 

“I always need you.” 

“I’m not sure if that’s true,” he says with a small laugh. 

“I’m glad you think this is funny,” she tells him. She glances in his direction, then back toward her friends. “As I lay in there about to die.” 

  
  


“She’s not going to die Wynonna,” Rosita argues. 

“You don’t know that. No one knows that!”

Rosita pauses for a moment like she agrees with her. “Well, wouldn’t you want to be able to go in and talk to her when she gets out of surgery regardless?” 

“Talk to her unconscious body? People need a reality check, Rosita, she can’t hear us!” 

  
  


In that moment, she feels her heart breaking for her friends. She wants to reach out to them, to tell them she’s right there. She wants to tell them they’d be okay, with or without her but she can’t. All she can do is sit and watch as the older Earp breaks down into tears. It’s nothing Nicole has ever seen before, and she can say right away, she hates it. 

She watches as Rosita tries to console her, rubbing her back with her hand as tears form in her own eyes. She can’t peel her eyes off of the scene and she can’t help but think how much this is all her fault. Maybe if she never said ‘yes’ to drinking with them under the bleachers, neither of them would be in this much pain. 

Suddenly Rosita looks shocked as she pulls back from Wynonna a little to get a better look at her. 

  
  
  


“Wynonna?” She asks, panic in her voice.

Wynonna doesn’t respond, she just turns her head toward her friend. Most of the color looks like it’s been drained from her face. 

“Wynonna?!” Rosita yells, attempting to shake her, trying to get any kind of reaction from her. “Are you okay?” She asks.

Once again, Wynonna doesn’t answer. She stares for a moment, breathing continuing to speed up. Suddenly her eyes roll back slightly before they close fully and she collapses into Rosita’s arms. 

  
  


“Wynonna!” Nicole screams. She knows no one can hear her, but it doesn’t stop her. She pushes off the side of the building and heads for the door. She runs into the hospital yelling, “help! My friend needs help!” 

  
  


“Help!” Rosita’s voice calls out next to her. “My friend needs help!” 

  
  


“She passed out! Someone please help her!” Nicole continues to scream.

  
  


“She passed out! Please, we need help!” Rosita tells. 

  
  


Nicole turns to go back outside to check on Wynonna. She’s soon followed by a herd of doctors that can’t see her, rushing by with a stretcher.

Nicole feels like her head starts to spin as she watches her friend, her girlfriend's sister, being loaded onto a stretcher and rushed into the hospital. She follows close behind as they push her through the waiting room and through the doors that read ‘authorized personnel only.’

She only turns back when she hears the sound of the love of her life screaming from behind her as the door closes behind them. She sees Waverly’s face peering through the window, Chrissy and Jeremy consoling her on either side of her. 

She finds her feet taking her in the direction of the younger Earp until she’s, once again, distracted by doctors pushing another stretcher through the hallway. 

This time it was like looking in the mirror, but a very twisted mirror. One where she sees a reflection of herself in the worst condition she’s ever seen herself in. She looks helpless, surrounded by doctors in scrubs. 

She can’t help but follow where they take her. They’re now in a hospital room. It looks much more inviting than the operating room, but still not where she wants to be. 

Why is she still unconscious? 

Why isn’t she still here watching everything from a distance?

“This isn’t easy for you, is it?” her father asks as he enters the room behind her. 

She turns to glare at him. “What’s that? Looking at myself, laying lifeless in a hospital bed, hooked up to a bunch of machines?” she asks, sarcastically. “No, it’s great.”

“Then what are you going to do about it?” he challenges.

She narrows her eyes at him. She’s frustrated. She’s tired. She’s more confused than she’s ever been in her entire life, or, whatever this is.

“What the hell am I supposed to do about it, dad?”

She takes a seat in a chair that’s in the corner of the room. She closes her eyes, tightly, hoping to just wake up laying in the hospital bed. She wants this entire nightmare to end. She can feel the presence of her father standing nearby, but he doesn’t speak. He gives her time to sit in silence, head in hands, focusing on her breathing. The steady beeping from the machine in her room rings both in her ears and in the room around her. It’s strangely calming at the moment. 

A few doctors come in and out to check on her. She overhears them talk about how she’s doing. They seem hopeful, but on several occasions, they tell her that it’s up to her.

What the hell does that mean?

She’s not sure how much time has passed before the door swings open again, but this time it’s not a doctor. She watches careful as Charlie, still bandaged up, makes his way over to the side of the bed where he body is laying. 

“Damn, you look like hell,” she finds herself saying out loud. She wishes he could hear her. She knows she could at least get a laugh out of him; take some of the pressure away that she knows he’s feeling. 

  
  
  


“Hey, Haught,” he says, voice cracking slightly. He sucks in a deep breath like he’s trying to stop himself from crying. He holds the breath for a short moment, closing his eyes before pushing the air back out of his lungs. 

“You know,” he continues. “I always thought if we were ever in this situation, it would be the other way around. With the amount of stupid things I’ve done over the years, it’s amazing that I’ve never been here.” 

He looks down at his bandaged hand. “Well, you know, I mean the one laying there.”

He lets out another sigh and starts to pace the room a little, fidgeting with random things around the room.

“I always thought you were some sort of superhero. I mean, I still do. You’re still here, you just need to open your eyes.”

Stopping in his tracks, Charlie turns back toward Nicole as she continues to lay still in the hospital bed. He takes a few steps toward her, stopping at the edge of the bed again. 

“You have a ton of people out there rooting for you.” He gestures toward the hospital room door. 

“I’ve never seen so many people in a waiting room waiting for one person. Not even in the movies. You used to tell me you didn’t need anyone in your life to be happy. I think it was because you never wanted to get attached. Because when you get attached, they leave. Trust me, I get that one.”

  
  


She feels her breath catch in her throat like she’s on the verge of tears. She feels bad for being one of those people in Charlie’s life. After Eliza left, she had trouble connecting with even the people she had been closest with throughout the years. Being around them was hard. It was like everything they still did together didn’t feel right without Eliza around.

If she could go back and change that, she would. Charlie has always been one of the most consistent people in her life and the thought of making him feel this way devastates her. 

“When you moved here, started your new life, I was pretty crushed. I know it wasn’t your fault and I never held it against you, but I missed you. I missed my friend. And I miss her right now.”

Tears form in his eyes. He tries to choke them back, but a few escape. He uses his left hand to brush them away, sucking in a deep breath. He holds it for a moment before pushing it back out.

“I’m really sorry, Nicole,” he continues. “This is all my fault.”

  
  


“It’s definitely not your fault,” she tries to tell him. 

  
  


“I’m the one who wanted to drive the car.”

  
  


“But you didn’t know that truck was going to come out of nowhere.”

  
  


“I should have been more careful.”

  
  


“You didn’t have enough time. They would have hit us anyway.”

  
  


“I wish I could switch places with you.”

  
  


“Shut up.”

  
  


“I wish the truck would have come from the other side. I wish I could have taken the hit. Instead I just have this stupid brace and you’re laying here, hooked up to this machine,” he gestures toward the machine next to the bed with his hand. “You don’t know what I’d give to take it all away.”

  
  


“I always liked this kid,” Nicole’s father chimes in. 

“You barely knew him,” Nicole reminds him.

“I remember him.”

“He was eight,” she laughs. 

“Character building starts at a young age,” he tries to tell her. 

Nicole shakes her head at him.

  
  


“You know,” Charlie continues. “I’m probably only saying this because I’m not actually sure if you can hear me or if you’ll remember any of this, but Eliza wasn’t wrong on your birthday. I did love you,” he admits. “I do love you. I’ll always love you. It was always you and me, you know? People came and went and by high school we kind of had our little crew, but you and I were the OGs.”

  
  


Nicole rolls her eyes at the boy, but she can’t help but smile.

  
  


“You’d be rolling your eyes at me right now for saying that, I know.” He lets out a soft laugh. “But really,” he continues. “Do you think maybe you could just open your eyes and we can get out of here sooner than later?”

He stops and stares at her like he’s expecting her to answer him.

  
  


Nicole stands from her seat and makes her way over toward the boy. She places her hand on his shoulder, knowing that he can’t feel it. “I’m sorry,” she whispers.

  
  


When the tears finally fall from Charlie’s eyes, he doesn’t stop them. He grabs Nicole’s hand in his and holds it, standing in silence. After a few minutes of silence, he softly lets go of her hand, nods and turns toward the door to make his way back out into the hallway. 

Nicole watches in silence as the door closes behind him, but she can still see him through the window on the door. She sees Chrissy appear next to Charlie, he gives her a look that’s hard to describe, kisses her on the cheek, and heads back in the direction of the waiting room. 

The door creaks open and Chrissy is now in full sight. She looks more overwhelmed than Nicole has ever seen her before. Her tear stained cheeks stand out to Nicole, she feels a pain in her heart followed by feelings of guilt again. 

  
  


“Hey,” Chrissy says, softly, as she makes her way over to the side of the bed. She immediately takes Nicole’s hand in her own, no hesitation. “I don’t ever know what to say in situations like this,” she sighs. “I mean, not that I have ever been in a situation like this, but, I’m just saying.”

She pauses, trying to gather her thoughts. 

“I’m stuttering,” she says with a laugh. She rubs her face with her free hand, not once letting go of Nicole’s hand. 

“Look, Nicole, I know we didn’t start off on a great foot,” she continues. “Well, that was more my fault.”

  
  


“You can say that again,” Nicole teases.

Her father gives her a weird look.

“She wasn’t really excited about her dad fostering a teenager,” she explains. 

  
  


“But I realized how selfish I was being,” Chrissy admits. “I guess what I really want to tell you is that I just need you here, okay?”

“You're the closest thing I’ve ever had to a sister, besides Waverly, and I have to admit, I do really like it. I’m supposed to be in your wedding when you marry Waverly.”

  
  


Nicole can't help but laugh a little at that statement. She’s never discussed what the wedding would look like if she and Waverly did end up getting married, but clearly Waverly has talked to Chrissy about it. 

  
  


“You’re supposed to marry Waverly,” she continues. “You’re supposed to live happily ever after together. Look, she would kill me if she knew I was telling you this, but you’re seriously the best thing to ever happen to her. And I’m sure she’s told you that, but I don’t mean it in a ‘I’m your girlfriend so I’m going to say cute things to you’ kind of way,” she explains.

She lets go of the redhead’s hand to grab a free chair that’s nearby the bed, dragging the chair next to where Nicole lies, sitting next to her. 

“You’ve brought out a side of Waverly that none of us have ever seen. And it’s not that it was never there, but there was always something stopping her. But not with you. Nothing stops her when she’s with you.”

  
  


“It sounds like your life isn’t the only one that changed when you moved to Purgatory, sweetheart,” her father says to her. 

Nicole starts to feel overwhelmed by everything that’s happening. She hears the words that Chrissy continues to say, but it’s hard for her to focus. She feels herself becoming weaker. She feels like she’s in a tunnel, things becoming dark around her. She blinks a few times, thinking that maybe this is how it ends. 

The door to her hospital room opens again and Waverly appears. Nicole finally finds her focus again. Her eyes narrow in on the beautiful, brunette that just entered the room. She stands from her seat as if she’s greeting royalty into the room.

  
  


“Waves,” Chrissy says. She stands from her seat, laying Nicole’s hand gently back by her side. “How’s Wynonna?”

“She’s good,” Waverly says with a sigh. “And baby is perfect,” she adds, beaming from ear to ear. Her smile quickly fades when she looks just past Chrissy to see Nicole laying still on the bed. 

  
  


“Wynonna had her baby?!” 

  
  


“I can’t believe you’re an aunt!” Chrissy tells her. “How about I go visit them and give you two a minute?” she suggests.

Waverly silently thanks her with a nod and a half smile. She lets out a loud sigh before she turns her body to fully face the lifeless redhead. Tears immediately fill her eyes. 

  
  


She doesn't speak for longer than Nicole expected. She’s never really seen Waverly speechless, and this isn’t really the way she wanted to accomplish making her that way. 

Nicole watches as tears fall freely from Waverly’s eyes. She wants to reach up and wipe them away, but she knows that she can’t, so she doesn’t even try. She remains on the other side of the room, having trouble with the idea that she can be so close to her girlfriend right now and it will still never be close enough for her to know she’s there. 

  
  
  


“Just open your eyes, baby,” Waverly finally speaks through her tears. “Open those beautiful, brown eyes that make me go weak in the knees,” she says. “The doctors are pretty sure you’ll be fine, they just say it’s up to you when you’re going to wake up.”

  
  


Nicole feels like her heart is breaking as she watches her girlfriend fall apart in front of her like it’s some sort of scene from a movie.

“I’m still waiting to just open my eyes,” Waverly continues.

“You know, like it’s all some sort of bad dream. We’re supposed to graduate in a few weeks. We’re not supposed to be in the hospital. You’re not supposed to be laying here, depending on a bunch of strangers to fix it. You’ve had to depend on strangers your entire life…”

  
  


“Yeah, when am I going to catch a break?”

“How you came out to be so strong, I’ll never know. I envy you most days. I don’t think I’ve ever told you that. But your ability to take so many hits in a lifetime,” she sucks in a deep breath. “It amazes me every day, baby.”

  
  


“Don’t underestimate yourself.”

  
  


“I know you think I have that ability too. But not like you do. I might seem pretty together on the outside, but on the inside I’ve always been a mess. The first time I felt like I could be held together was the day I met you.” 

  
  


“I know you’re a mess on the inside too,” Nicole admits. “You should know that by now.”

  
  


“I don’t want to live without you. I don’t even want to breathe without you, Nicole.” She leans in, whispering something into the redhead’s ear.

  
  


Nicole feels a tear fall from her face. She expects it to be warm, but it’s not. 

She feels her father's hand on her shoulder. She’s confused about why she can feel his warmth, but not her own. She takes in a deep breath, letting it out slowly. 

“I wish you could have met her.” 

“Me too,” he says, softly.

She continues to watch for a little while. Waverly speaks softly to her every once in a while, between her tears. When the brunette starts to cry harder, Nicole feels like she can’t take it any longer. She moves closer to the door of the hospital room. She feels like she’s invading Waverly’s privacy in a way. There’s nothing she can do to fix any of this right now and sitting here, watching her struggle is far from what Nicole wants to do.

When she makes it to the hallway, she lets out a breath that she didn’t realize she was holding.

“Nicole?” her dad calls out after her. 

“I needed a breather.”

The man nods at her, providing her with space. Nicole takes a deep breath in, closing her eyes. Before she opens them, all she can see is the look on Waverly’s face when she saw her lying in the hospital bed. 

As much as she loves her face, she can’t take the pain, so she opens her eyes quickly, letting her breath out. 

“What do you want, Ward?”

Nicole turns to see Waverly’s aunt, Gus, and her father standing near the door to her room. 

  
  


“I’m not here to cause any problems,” the man admits. 

“How did you know they were here?” She asks, still skeptical of his motives. 

“I got her here.” 

  
  
  


“He did what?” Nicole asks, confused. 

  
  


“I came up on the intersection and I saw the accident happen,” he explains. “I called an ambulance. The other two were in decent shape, banged up a bit, but she was so badly hurt.”

  
  


Nicole hears something in the man’s voice that she’s never heard before. Something genuine. 

  
  


“Look, Gus, I know that I haven’t been the best I could be for my girl’s and I don’t always agree with their choices, but I wasn’t going to let her die.”

“Ward, I’m not really interested in talking about how I feel about the content of your character,” the woman says sternly. “Saving her was the right thing and there are many people who are going to be thankful for that, myself included.”

Ward nods his head in silence, allowing his sister-in-law to continue speaking. 

  
  


Nicole is shocked by the pain in his eyes. She always wanted to give Ward the benefit of the doubt, but it was hard to find the humanity in a man who would treat his family the way that he treated them. 

  
  


“I needed to make sure she was okay.” 

“Nicole or Waverly?”

“Both.”

Gus nods, placing a comforting hand on his shoulder. The pair stand in silence for another moment, peering into the hospital room through the window on the door.

“I know the thought of seeing her get hurt scares you, Ward,” Gus finally breaks the silence. “But that right there,” she gestures toward Waverly sitting by Nicole’s bedside. “That’s true love if I’ve ever seen it before.”

“I know that,” Ward says, staring at his daughter through the window. “I think that’s what scares me the most.”

  
  


Nicole swallows hard. She studies the faces of Waverly’s family members, noticing the exhausted looks in their faces. She’s still surprised to see Ward in a different light, but part of her feels for him. She knows the story of how he fell in love with Waverly’s mom and had his heart broken. She feels like somewhere deep down, in his own twisted way, maybe he was just trying to protect Waverly from that happening to her.

  
  


More time passes before Waverly opens the door to Nicole’s hospital room, tears still fall down her cheeks. She takes one more look back at her girlfriend before she closes the door and turns toward her father and Gus. 

  
  


Nicole is surprised when she sees Waverly walk straight up to her father, allowing him to envelop her in his arms. She wishes it could be her to hold the brunette in her own arms. Knowing that she can’t hold her hurts her more in that moment that it has thus far. She turns toward the waiting room, making her way as far away from the girl she loves as she can. 

It’s just too much to take right now.

When she reaches the edge of the waiting room, she hears her father’s footsteps not far behind her. “So what happens from here?” She asks, turning back toward him. 

“You heard what the doctor’s said, it’s up to you,” he tells her. 

“Wait, they were serious about that? That’s not just something they tell people to ease them a little. You know, so they can all be like ‘Nicole’s a fighter, she’ll get through this she always does.’ That’s bullshit.”

“You have to be willing to fight, Nicole.”

“So it’s really like that,” she says, trying to wrap her head around it all. “They’re really going to leave it up to an eighteen year old.”

“I can’t believe you’re eighteen,” her father says. “It feels like just yesterday that you were about to turn eight.”

“For you it sort of was.” 

“I’m sorry, Nicole.” 

“You don’t have to be sorry, dad. You tried,” she assures him. “You and I didn’t have it easy, but I will never say that you didn’t try.” 

“Thank you,” he says, placing his hand softly on her shoulder. 

She closes her eyes for a moment, soaking in the moment with her father. Something she knows she might never feel again. When she opens her eyes, she looks in his direction, unsure of what happens next. She feels more and more exhausted as time moves on, like part of her is disappearing. She’s not sure if that’s a good or a bad thing, but she’s afraid to face it either way.

“So is this the part where you show me what life would be like for everyone without me? If I don’t pull through this?” Nicole asks. “Then I decide what the best decision is for everyone?” 

“I told you before, Nicole, it doesn’t work that way. You can’t just see something that hasn’t happened. The only way you’re going to see it is if you open your eyes.” 

“Where's the fun in that?” She asks with a laugh. “You can’t just show me a quick montage of Waverly growing old and lonely to guilt trip me? Let’s be real though, she’s too amazing to spend the rest of her life alone.”

“Are you going to take this seriously?” 

“I’m trying not to,” she shrugs, receiving the most parental look she’s ever seen from her father. It’s like a mixture of sympathy and a warning thrown into one.

“If I take it seriously I have to face the fact that I’m laying in there in a hospital bed, fighting for my life. I have to accept that apparently I have a choice here and that’s a lot for me right now. I’d have to face the fact that I’m hurting all of the people that I love right now and I’m scared because if I go I’m sure I’ll hurt them again at some point in my life and after seeing the looks on their faces right now, I don’t know if I can handle that either.”

“So you’d rather just give up? Walk away from it all right now? What about those people in there? They’re all here for you, Nicole.”

In that moment, she pauses as Waverly makes her way past her with her aunt and her father. They join the others in the waiting room, sitting near each other in the chairs. 

Nicole’s eyes stay glued on the brunette. 

“Have you ever loved someone so much, that you’re afraid you’ll ruin them by sticking around?” 

“Yeah,” he answers honestly. “You.” 

She pauses for a moment, turning back toward him, feeling tears build in her eyes. She’s afraid if she blinks she won’t be able to stop them from falling. She hesitates to make eye contact with her father, but when she does, it’s more like she’s looking into her own eyes rather than his.

She looks back at the group of people all congregated in the waiting room. They look tired, exhausted in fact. She takes a few steps toward them. She sees that they are making small talk amongst themselves. Waverly sits quietly, no words come from her mouth, but Nicole can tell she’s listening. She’s always listening, always paying attention even when you think she might not be. 

She turns back to see her dad still standing where she left him. He doesn’t speak, but just gives her an encouraging smile, nodding ever so slightly. Nicole takes a few more steps closer to her friends; her family. 

She sits down in the empty spot next to Waverly. She can’t feel her, but she notices the girl shift when she sits down. She breathes in deep, attempting to inhale the brunette into her senses. It’s no use. She doesn’t smell her, she can’t feel her. The only thing she feels is the occasional pain shooting through her chest causing her to close her eyes tightly, pushing through the pain. 

“I can’t do this dad,” Nicole finally says. The man is still standing where she left him, alone and leaning against the wall. People move by him without the slightest knowledge that he even exists. 

Because he doesn’t. 

Her father died when she was little. She looks at him again. His face barely has a wrinkle on it. His bright red hair isn’t littered with grays yet. He hasn’t aged a day in ten years. 

She stares at the man a little longer. She stares so hard that he starts to fade from view. She doesn’t want to blink, afraid she’s going to miss something. When she finally does, he’s no longer there when her eyes open back up again. 

“Bye, dad,” she whispers to herself, feeling tears fall from her face. 

She uses her hands to wipe the tears from her eyes, covering her face fully for a moment, taking a deep breath in. 

Suddenly she sees flashes of the accident in her head. She sees herself in the car with Charlie, talking and having a good time. She sees the light turn green; the truck approaching the intersection. She hears the sound of the screeching tires; feels the impact of the truck hitting her side of the car. 

Everything goes black. 


	29. Chapter 29

Nicole’s eyes jolt open and she gasps for breath. She’s confused to find herself in a hospital bed with the sound of beeping ringing in her ears.

“Nicole!” she hears a sound so sweet, she can’t help but smile. Waverly is sitting near the edge of her bed, holding her hand. The brunette starts to place kisses on her hand. “You’re awake!”

The redhead opens her mouth to try to talk, but nothing comes out. She could really use some water. She nods at her girlfriend, eyes fighting to remain open.

“Baby, shh, it’s okay,” her girlfriend tells her. She stands up from the chair, making her way over toward the door. “I’ll get the doctor.”

What happens next is a blur. Her eyes are heavy, but she fights to keep them open. Between long blinks, she sees doctors flood the room, losing track of where Waverly went. After a few ice chips and a couple of sips of water, they take her vitals and ask her more questions than she remembers. 

“And you know who that is over there?” the doctor asks, gesturing toward Waverly who is now standing toward the end of the bed, out of the way of the doctors. 

A smile grows across Nicole’s face as she nods back at the doctors. “That’s the absolute love of my life,” she tells them. “And I’d be a fool to ever leave her.”

The smile that appears on Waverly’s face takes her breath away. She feels her heart start to pound in her chest and all she wants to do is wrap her arms around her, pulling her close. 

She starts to think about whether or not she can even move her arms. She suddenly feels heavy, like her body is starting to set in drying concrete. She shifts in the bed, trying to find out what she can actually move, catching a slightly panicked look on the doctor’s face.

“Easy there, miss,” he says, politely. 

She can’t help but laugh, immediately feeling pain in her gut.

“Ow,” she says, placing her hand gently over the pained spot. 

“You’re going to have to take it easy for a little bit, Nicole,” the doctor explains. “Your body just went through some decent trauma and with the surgery-”

“Surgery?”

“Your spleen ruptured in the crash and-”

She tries to focus as the words come out of the doctor’s mouth. She’s surprisingly never had surgery in her life. Is this her karma for finally getting her driver’s license and the car of her dreams?

“How’s my car?” she asks, not really sure if she wants to know the answer to that. She turns to see Waverly cringe at the question, knowing right away that she’s not going to like the answer. 

“The good thing is, you’re okay,” Waverly assures her. 

Nicole groans, leaning her head further back into the pillow. She knows the brunette is right, but that doesn’t stop her from being mad about it. 

The doctors ask her a few more questions before they head toward the door. When they finally leave, reminding her first that they’ll be back to check in periodically, she feels herself let out a sigh of relief. She quickly looks around the room, finally alone again with Waverly. 

“Waves,” she says, almost in a whisper as she sees the brunette making her way back over to her bedside. 

She feels Waverly take her hand in her own, squeezing it tightly. Suddenly her mind starts to race with thoughts of the accident. Flashes of images flood into her head; screeching tires, glass breaking, vehicles colliding. She remembers Charlie driving her car. Charlie. Is he okay? Her brain is running a mile per minute. 

“Babe?” Waverly asks. She must be able to read Nicole’s lack of focus on anything specific. 

“Charlie,” she chokes out. 

“Charlie’s fine,” she assures her. Nicole feels herself let out another sigh of relief. She looks around the room like he’s going to appear out of nowhere. “I can get him, if you want.”

She lets out a breath that she didn’t know she was holding until she heard the answer to her question. She shakes her head in response. “Can we be alone for a minute?”

The brunette nods, bringing Nicole’s hand to her face as she presses kisses all over it. Tears form in Nicole’s eyes. She can only imagine what Waverly had gone through when she found out about the accident, or what it was like waiting for her to wake up in the hospital.

“I’m sorry,” Nicole says, a tear escaping from her eye.

Waverly shakes her head at the redhead. “No, no, no,” she says. She leans in and places sporadic kisses all over Nicole’s face. “As long as you’re okay, everything is going to be okay.”

“I’m sure you were worried,” Nicole says. 

“I was, but you’re here now,” Waverly assures her. “That’s all that matters.”

“How's everyone else?” Nicole asks, wondering when she’s going to be surrounded by the rest of her friends. She’s sure that they have to all be waiting somewhere around here, knowing very well that none of them would leave Waverly alone at a time like this.

“They’re good, they’ve just been waiting for you to open your eyes.”

Nicole smiles at the thought of having her friends nearby. As much as she’s enjoying just being alone with Waverly, she does miss them. 

“There’s something else,” Waverly says. 

Nicole gives her a confused look, hoping it’s not bad news. “What’s that?” she asks. 

“Wynonna had her baby yesterday,” Waverly tells her, her smile growing bigger than she even thought possible. 

Nicole’s face lights up at the news. “Really?!” She feels more tears forming in her eyes. All she wants to do is climb out of the bed she’s in and find her. “Is she okay? Is the baby okay?”

Waverly nods. “They’re both doing great,” she tells her. “She told me as soon as she could she’d be down to see you.”

“I can’t wait,” Nicole says with a smile.

“She’s absolutely beautiful,” Waerly informs her. 

“Must take after her aunt,” Nicole says with a wink. She finds herself not being able to stop staring into Waverly’s beautiful, hazel eyes. She feels like she hasn’t seen them in a long time and she’s afraid to look away. 

“At least you haven’t lost your sense of humor,” Waverly teases.

Nicole laughs, “never.” She gestures for the brunette to join her on the bed. She tries to scoot her body over further, giving her more space to lay with her. She winces in pain when she tries to move. 

“Careful,” Waverly says softly, brushing loose hair from the redhead’s face. “Here,” she says as she carefully lays in the space next to her. “Am I hurting you?” she asks, body pressed up against Nicole’s. 

“Not at all,” Nicole says. 

She sucks in a deep breath, breathing Waverly’s smell into her senses. She closes her eyes, taking in the moment. She sees flashes of people in her head. She sees Charlie being wheeled into an ambulance on a stretcher, she sees people surrounding her as she’s pushed through the hospital halls, she swears she even sees her father. Her eyes shoot open and she quickly rubs her face with her hand. 

“Are you okay?” Waverly asks, breaking Nicole from her thoughts. 

“Yeah,” Nicole replies, unconvincingly. “I just keep seeing these flashes in my mind.”

“Like flashes of the accident?”

“Sort of,” she tells her. “I feel like I had a really weird dream while I was out.” She’s unsure of how to explain it, she doesn’t even understand it herself. She feels like she just spent time with her dead father. “I keep seeing my dad.”

“Like Randy?” Waverly asks. “Or your birth father?”

“Birth,” she responds.

“Like he was here?”

“Yeah, but he didn’t age or anything. He was exactly like I remembered him when I was a kid,” she tries to explain. The memories are still really foggy. She can remember traces of talking to him, but nothing in full detail. 

Waverly gives her a sympathetic look, pressing a soft, warm kiss against the cold skin of her hand. 

“It’s okay,” Nicole assures her, as if Waverly is the only that needs to be consoled. “Just weird.” She externally shrugs as she internally tries to desperately remember more details of her dream, or whatever it was. 

The door swings open, quickly dragging her out of any thoughts she was lost in. A smile forms on her mouth and she can’t stop the tears that fall from her face as she sees Randy enter the room. 

Waverly slowly lets go of her hand, moving back a little from the bed. “How about I give you two a minute?” she asks.

Nicole nods at her girlfriend, mouthing “thank you,” to her. Waverly smiles back at her, softly tucking a few stray hairs behind her ear before she turns to leave the room.

“Hey,” Nicole says, softly. She can still feel the warm tears sticking to her cheeks as they slowly make their way toward her chin. She doesn’t bother to wipe them away yet, knowing there are probably more to come. “I’m sorry about the car.”

Randy’s face turns to shock in response to the statement. “No, no, no!” he says with a soft chuckle. “Nicole, I’m not worried about the car.”

“From what I hear, it might not be worth the worry anymore,” she tries to joke, but still feels the sting of losing something so beautiful. 

“Cars are replaceable,” Randy assures her. He slides a chair up to the side of the bed. “But you are not.”

The words echo in her ears, cutting deep to someone who has always considered themself to be easily replaced.

She pauses for a moment and takes in the view of the man’s face in front of her. He looks tired, but she focuses more on his eyes. She sees the pain and fear that he must be feeling having her laying in the hospital bed. She thinks about how she has it easier than everyone else. She didn’t have to wait to find out if someone she loves is going to make it, she just had to lay there. 

“I’m sorry,” is all Nicole can think to say. Randy shakes his head immediately in response to the statement.

“You don’t have anything to apologize for, Nicole,” the man reassures her. “The fact that you’re still here and talking is good enough for me.”

“How is Chrissy?”

“She’s okay,” he answers. “I told her I got to come see you first,” he says with a laugh.

Nicole laughs and finally reaches up to wipe the tears from her cheeks. “Just think, if this was a few months ago, she would probably have been mad at me for ruining her spring break trip,” the redhead teases. 

Randy laughs. “I told you she’d come around,” he reminds her. 

Nicole nods. It feels good to see him laugh, taking away some of the seriousness of the situation. “Don’t tell her I asked about her, she might get a big head,” she jokes. 

Randy nods, winking back at the redhead. “Our little secret,” he tells her. “So I spoke with the doctors,” he says, changing the subject. “Surgery went really well.”

“Just down an organ,” Nicole laughs. 

“Could be worse,” he reminds her. Nicole nods. “They’re going to keep you here for a few days to monitor you though,” he explains. “Help with the healing.”

Nicole nods. “So much for spring break,” she groans. 

“Let’s focus on getting you to graduation, then we can make up for missing out on Spring break,” Randy tells her. “Maybe make it there in one piece?”

Nicole nods. “I’m really sorry for scaring you.”

“I know,” he tells her. “It’s a father’s job to worry. So that’s never going to change. You know, when Chrissy was little, it was always our fear that she would do something to end up in the hospital. I think my wife would have bubble wrapped the entire house if she could.”

Nicole starts to laugh at the thought. 

“You should have seen me the first time she drove away in her car for the first time. Similar to how I was when you did.”

“Then I go and crash it,” Nicole huffs. 

“You weren’t even driving it.”

“Don’t be mad at Charlie for the accident,” Nicole tells him. “He’s a really good guy.”

“I know that,” Randy assures her. “Listen, Nicole, things are going to happen in life. I know you know that more than most. But you’re human, that’s not going to change my opinion of you. I’ve told you before, but I’ll tell you again, you have a home with us. Nothing is going to change that.”

“Thank you,” Nicole says, more tears escape her eyes. She wishes she could reach her arms out, hugging the man that took a chance on her and gave her a place to finally call home. 

There’s a soft knock at the door and it slowly opens, Chrissy’s face appearing in the doorway. She gives her father a look, like she’s unsure if he’s going to be okay with her just showing up in the room while he’s spending time with Nicole. The man gestures for her to come in.

When the door opens further, Nicole sees that Chrissy isn’t alone. She’s followed by a trail of their other friends.

“You don’t know how happy I am to see your faces,” Nicole says as they all enter the room. 

“Just don’t tell anyone we all came in here at the same time,” Mattie says. 

Randy laughs and tells them that he’s going to give Nicole time with her friends. He reminds her that he will check on her again later. Nicole thanks him as he makes his way over to the door to leave the room. 

Waverly quickly takes her place in the chair next to the bed, taking Nicole’s hand in her own, lacing their fingers together. She feels complete again.

Nicole spends the next twenty minutes or so mostly listening to her friends talk. She watches each one of them carefully, as if it’s the first time she’s seeing them all together. She finds an appreciation in them being there for her and for each other at a time like this. 

She notices Charlie is more standoffish than the rest of her friends. She tries to make eye contact with him to nonchalantly get his attention, but he avoids looking directly at her for too long. 

She gestures for Waverly to come closer. The brunette looks panicked at first as if there's something wrong. “Hey, do you think I can talk to Charlie alone real quick?”

“Oh,” Waverly breathes a sigh of relief. “Of course.” She presses a kiss against Nicole’s cheek before gesturing for everyone else to follow her out into the hallway. 

As soon as the door clicks shut, Charlie speaks. “I’m so sorry, Nicole.” His voice sounds broken, like he’s choking back tears. He’s still not making eye contact with her. 

“Charlie, it’s not your fault,” Nicole assures him. She watches as he paces slowly, back and forth across the room. 

“I just should have been looking, maybe I could have seen it coming. I was just excited about driving your car and-”

He stops himself like he doesn’t know what else to say. He lets out an audible sigh and finally looks up to make eye contact with the redhead. 

“Charlie-”

“I should be the one in your position,” he tells her, pointing toward her laying in the bed. 

“Oh shut up,” Nicole says, quickly. “You look like a mess too.” She laughs a little. Charlie looks down at his arm that’s tightly wrapped in a brace. 

“It’s just a sprain,” he tells her. 

“I meant your face,” Nicole teases, pointing at the bandage that he’s donning above his eye. She watches as he runs his fingers over it. 

“It makes me look tough,” he says with a wink. He’s slowly making his way toward Nicole’s bedside, plopping himself down into the chair next to her. 

“Oh yeah?” Nicole asks with a laugh. “Is that what Chrissy thinks?” she teases, finally gaining a smile across the boy’s face. 

“She doesn’t hate,” he says, tone turning more cocky. 

Nicole playfully pushes his arm with her hand. “None of this is your fault, Charlie.”

He nods. 

“And I’m not going to let you walk around pouting about it either. Things could have definitely been worse, but they weren’t.”

“You’ve always been one lucky son of a bitch,” Charlie tells her, laughing. 

“Skin of my teeth, man,” Nicole says with a laugh. She sighs and leans her head back into the bed behind her. They sit in silence for a few more moments. As much as Nicole enjoys the visitors, in this moment specifically, this is exactly what she needs. 

  
  


As the day goes on, Nicole finds herself in serious need of a nap. Between the constant visits from her friends and family and being checked in on by the doctors, she’s extremely exhausted. 

She wouldn’t know what time of the day it is if it wasn’t for the large window on the side of her room allowing her to see the sun setting. She still has trouble wrapping her head around the fact that she’s been at the hospital for more than 24 hours and has no recollection of that much time passing. 

When she fell asleep this time, she remembers Waverly sitting next to bed, holding her hand. She looked really tired and Nicole encouraged her to try to go get some rest too. 

When she opens her eyes, she looks around to see Waverly is no longer in the room with her. Maybe she took her advice. 

The door swings open and she looks up to see Waverly reentering the room. “You’re awake!” She says, as bubbly as ever. 

Nicole laughs and nods. Waverly sure has a way of making everything better, regardless of the circumstances. 

“I brought someone to see you,” the brunette says. She pushes the door further open to relieve a smiling Wynonna holding a small baby in her arms. 

“Special delivery,” Wynonna says as she enters the room behind her sister. 

“Oh my god,” Nicole says, face lighting up at the sight of the baby. She tries to reach out her arms, but feels her tired body resisting a bit. “I can’t believe you’re a mother.”

“Me neither,” Wynonna sighs. Nicole can’t help but laugh, but she notices by the way Wynonna looks at the child in her arms, she is definitely enjoying it. “Want to hold her?”

“Um yes!” Nicole says quickly. She tries to adjust herself in the bed, quickly gaining Waverly’s assistance. Wynonna careful hands the baby over to her and she cradles her in her arms, close to her body.

“What’s her name?”

“Alice Michelle,” Wynonna responds. “After our mothers.”

“How is Doc?”

“He’s doing okay so far,” Wynonna replies. “It’s not like he’s had anything hard to do.” She rolls her eyes, causing Nicole to laugh.

“She’s beautiful,” she says. She can’t stop staring at the tiny life in her arms. “I hope you don’t expect her back anytime soon,” she jokes. 

“Nah, you can take her for a while, I’ve had enough.”

“Wynonna!” Waverly yells.

“I was joking!” Wynonna tells her. Waverly rolls her eyes at her sister. “Careful there Haught, my sister is giving you some serious heart eyes, it won’t be long before she’s asking for one of those.” She snorts out a laugh and points toward her daughter. Waverly scoffs at her sister and slaps her on the arm.

“I think you’re the one that needs to be careful,” Nicole teases. She looks back toward the baby in her arms, watching as she lays so content and secure, wrapped in her blanket. 

She can’t help but smile down at the innocence of the life that she’s holding in her arms. She thinks about how the world hasn’t even touched her yet and how beautiful that is. She silently swears that from this moment on, she will do anything in her power to protect this little girl from anything bad that could possibly come her way. 

She’s lost in her thoughts when she hears Wynonna ask if she can have a moment alone with Nicole. Waverly doesn’t protest, but assures her that she will be back before she heads for the door. 

“So am I going to have to wrap you in bubble wrap?” Wynonna asks when they’re finally alone. 

“Sounds like a bit much,” Nicole laughs, looking up from the baby toward Wynonna. 

“Well I can have you dying on us, Haught,” Wynonna tells her. Her tone is somewhere between joking and being extremely serious. 

“I didn’t die,” Nicole challenges. Based on the look she receives in response, she assumes Wynonna doesn’t like that answer. “Sorry.”

“I didn’t want to come in to see you,” Wynonna admits. “Like when you were going to be out of surgery, I didn’t want to see you just laying there. Helpless.”

Nicole nods. She understands. She’s not sure she would want to see anyone she loves like that either. 

“I know it’s a dick move,” Wynonna says. She sits in the chair next to the bed. “But who wants to see someone they care about lying there all helpless and shit?”

Nicole laughs at her use of words. “You care about me?” she teases. 

“Don’t push it, Haught,” Wynonna warns. Nicole laughs and puts her hands up defensively in front of her. “My sister loves you and you two are good together,” she continues. “I’m not sure her heart would ever heal from that and I didn’t want to have to witness it break.”

She’s unsure of what to say. She feels tears threaten to leave her eyes, but blinks them away. She continues to sit in silence, listening to Wynonna speak.

“But she wouldn’t be the only broken one,” Wynonna admits. 

“I know,” Nicole says. “I’m going to be okay, Wynonna. No one is going to have to lose me anytime soon.”

“And if you tell anyone I got this soft-”

“I know, I know,” Nicole says, rolling her eyes. “I care about you too,” she adds with a wink. “So do I get to be the godmother?” 

“Over Waverly?” Wynonna asks. “You know she’d kick both of our asses, right?” 

“We can let her down easy,” Nicole teases. Wynonna breaks out into laughter. 

They spend the next few minutes that they have without anyone else chatting idly. It’s not long before the room is full again and she’s surrounded by her friends. Nicole reluctantly gives the baby back to Wynonna and says ‘goodbye’ for now. Now she’s really ready to get out of the hospital so she can spend more time with them. 

  
  


__________________

  
  
  


It’s been a few days in the hospital and Waverly hasn’t left her side. While she appreciates the brunette’s company, and misses her while she’s gone, she’s beginning to notice more signs of exhaustion in her.

There are dark circles forming under her eyes that almost have a permanent bloodshot look to them. She catches a third yawn come out of her mouth within the hour.

“Babe why don’t you go home? Wynonna’s there with the baby,” she suggests, hoping Waverly can get some proper rest. 

“But you’re here,” the brunette whines a little, looking down to their hands, playing with Nicole’s fingers. 

“And I’m not going anywhere,” Nicole reminds her. She’d love to be able to leave, but while the doctors have gotten her out of bed more often lately, she hasn’t really heard much about when she might be able to leave yet. 

Waverly gives her a skeptical look. She remembers telling the brunette she’d be right back right before she landed herself an extended stay in the hospital. 

“I know, I know,” Nicole quickly defends. “But I mean it this time. Look, you’ve talked to the doctors more than I have. Didn’t they say I’m fine?”

“Not fully fine, but you’ll be fine,” Waverly explains. 

“Damn, you don’t think I’m fine anymore?” the redhead teases, grinning back at her girlfriend. She feels like it’s been so long since she’s been able to touch Waverly and boy does she miss it. 

Waverly playfully slaps her on the arm.

“But really, babe, you’re exhausted. I’m just going to be laying here all day. I’ve got nurses to keep my company.”

Waverly gives her a warning look.

“Nothing like your company though,” she quickly adds. 

Waverly laughs. “Fine,” she huffs. “I’ll go, but mostly because I have to get stuff ready for school on Monday.”

Nicole can’t help but laugh. “Wow, you’re such a nerd!”

Waverly scoffs back at her. “Don’t think because you had surgery you got a free pass to make fun of me!”

Nicole laughs, flashing her a dimpled smile and a wink.

“Don’t give me that smile, you out that dimple away, Missy!” Waverly pushes her finger against Nicole’s cheek over her dimple, making the redhead laugh. 

“I thought you liked it.”

“I love it,” Waverly says, forcing a pout. “But if you don’t stop, I’ll never leave or get anything done. Because all I’ll want to do is you.”

“Well…” Nicole raises her eyebrows , giving her a seductive smirk.

“Nicole!” Waverly whines. 

“Fine, fine,” Nicole says. “I’ll stop, but it is fun to get you worked up,” she laughs. 

“Oh sure,” Waverly says, rolling her eyes. “But don’t forget I’m the only one that can do anything about it right now,” she adds with a wink.

Nicole's eyes widen. “Man, you fight dirty, Earp.”

“Oh, okay,” Waverly replies. “Like you didn’t start this!”

Nicole laughs and gestures for her to come closer. She slides her arm behind Waverly’s back as she sits on the bed next to her. The brunette leans her head on Nicole’s shoulder and Nicole leans in, kissing the top of her head.

She doesn’t realize how much she misses moments like this until they happen. She can’t wait to get out of the hospital and be able to continue her life like normal. She closes her eyes, feeling the exhaustion start to take over. After a moment, she forces them back open. 

“Maybe I changed my mind about you leaving,” Nicole says with a laugh. She feels Waverly squeeze her a little tighter, careful to avoid her incision, letting out a giggle. 

“I can stay,” the brunette tells her. 

Nicole lets out an audible groan, internally battling with selfishly keeping her girlfriend by her side and knowing that she really should go get some rest. 

“How about for a few more minutes?” Nicole asks, compromising somewhere between her wants and Waverly’s needs. 

“Deal,” Waverly says, leaning up to press a kiss against Nicole’s cheek. 

She’s not sure how much time passes before Waverly reluctantly climbs off of the bed. It helps her move from her spot when a doctor comes in to check on her. She appreciates how understanding the doctors have been with Waverly being a somewhat permanent fixture to her room. They often joke with her, telling her that she’s the most popular person in the hospital. 

When Waverly does leave, Nicole notices how quiet the room really is without anyone else there. All she can hear is the sound of the machines in providing her body with fluids mixed with the sound of her thoughts. She finds her thoughts race more when no one else is around. 

She tries to piece together more of the dream she had while she was unconscious. At least she thinks it was a dream. She keeps seeing flashes of things like she was watching things unfold from a distance; from a life that wasn’t hers. 

Eventually she gets past her thoughts and finds a way to fall asleep. When she wakes, she finds that Waverly must not have slept very well at home based on the amount of missed text messages she has. 

She laughs a little at the amount of ‘I miss you’s’ she received, but has to admit, she misses her too. Before she’s able to even respond to the lot of messages, the door to her room opens and Waverly enters. 

“You’re prompt,” Nicole jokes. She assumed that Waverly wouldn’t wait long before coming in to see her the next morning and she sure didn’t mind. 

Waverly gives her a warning look. “I mean, I could leave…” she teases, gesturing back toward the door. 

“No!” Nicole quickly protests. “I want you here,” she says with a smile. 

“Good,” Waverly says, taking a seat in the chair next to Nicole. “I brought you something.”

“Really? What?”

Waverly holds an envelope out in front of her. Nicole gives her a confused look. “Randy said it came to the house.”

“What is it?” She asks as she takes the envelope from the brunette. 

“Looks like it’s from a college.” 

Nicole’s eyes widen. She feels her heart start to race, nervous about what it could say. She stares at the envelope. 

“Are you going to open it?” Waverly’s voice interrupts her thoughts. 

“I read you your’s, you read mine?” Nicole asks, holding the envelope out from Waverly to take it back. 

“Are you sure?” 

Nicole nods. All she can think is that they told her she didn’t get in. She thinks about Waverly going off to the city without her, making a life there. She wonders if she’d be disappointed in her, even if she says she won’t. She would sure be disappointed in herself. 

“Okay,” Waverly says. She opens the envelope, slowly removing the letter from inside. She unfolds the letter before grabbing Nicole’s hand with her free hand while the other one holds the letter. Waverly clears her throat and begins reading the words at the top of the letter. “Dear Miss Haught,” she begins. “It is with great pleasure that I write to inform you,” a smile grows across the brunette’s face. “That you have been accepted for admission…” she speeds up out of excitement as she continues to read the words on the paper. 

“I got in.” Nicole’s tone is a mixture of excitement and confusion, unsure of if she heard her wrong or not. 

“You got in,” Waverly reiterates to her. She drops the letter on the bed next to the redhead as she stands from her seated position, cupping Nicole’s face with her hands. “You got in,” she repeats, smile growing bigger, as she leans in to kiss Nicole’s lips. 

Nicole slides her arm around Waverly’s back, pulling her as close as she possibly can, wishing she could get closer. The kiss deepens for a moment, excitement continues to pour out of her. 

“So we’re doing this?” Nicole asks as they pull back slightly from the kiss. She’s still close enough to feel Waverly’s breath on her lips. 

“Doing what?” 

“Going to the city, going to these colleges?” She asks like she needs to remind herself again that she got in; as if she needs some sort of reminder that it’s okay to follow her dreams. 

“Where you go, I go.” 


	30. Chapter 30

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> We’ve finally reached the end! Thank you all for coming on this ride with me, I hope you all enjoyed it :)

After spending the majority of her Spring Break in the hospital, Nicole is becoming more and more excited about the approaching summer and having a break from school after graduation, before starting college in the fall. She’s mostly excited to be able to take it easy for the summer, but Waverly keeps adding more plans to her list. At this point, she just goes along with it. But she is happy to be with Waverly, regardless of what they do. 

“Are you even listening anymore?” Waverly huffs, she’s clearly annoyed with the redhead. 

Nicole’s eyes are focused downward toward her guitar that she’s been tinkering with for the past fifteen minutes or so. “What?” she asks. 

“I asked what you thought about planning a going away party before we all go our separate ways to college and stuff,” Waverly repeats herself. 

“Oh, yeah,” Nicole says. She finally looks up to make eye contact with the glaring brunette. “Sounds great, babe,” she says with a smile.

“I don’t believe you,” Waverly huffs.

“It’s just that we haven’t even graduated yet,” Nicole says. “As much as I love planning a future with you, don’t you ever wish time would just slow down?”

“Says the girl who wanted to speed up the last month,” her girlfriend reminds her.

“That’s different,” Nicole argues. She sets the guitar down, leaning it against a nearby wall. She gestures for Waverly to come to her. “That’s because I wanted to be able to do this again,” she grins, wrapping her arms tightly around the brunette’s waist as she stands from the bed. 

“And you should still be careful,” Waverly warns. Nicole can feel her trying not to press against her too tightly. 

“It’s like good as new!” Nicole protests, stepping back a bit. She lifts her shirt to expose the fresh scar on her abdomen. 

“It’s hardly even a scar yet,” Waverly aruges. She gently runs her fingers down the exposed skin, goosebumps forming in a trail behind her touch. 

Nicole sucks in a sharp breath at the feeling of Waverly’s fingers against her bare skin. “Baby, I’m fine,” she whines, giving her a pouty lip. 

Waverly laughs and shakes her head at her girlfriend. “I just don’t want to hurt you.”

“You didn’t hurt me last night,” Nicole says with a dimpled grin, followed by a quick wink. 

“Mm,” Waverly says, closing her eyes as if she was replaying the memory in her head. Nicole feels proud of the results again. “Fine,” the brunette continues. “But you’re not completely healed yet.”

“You’re right,” Nicole finally admits. She pulls her shirt back down and plops down on the bed.

“So are you worried about graduating?”

“Not really worried,” the redhead explains. “But it’s weird, you know? These next couple of weeks are going to fly by and that’s it, we’re college students.” 

The statement sounds scary coming out of her mouth.

“True,” Waverly agrees. She moves a little closer to Nicole, wrapping her arms around the redhead’s shoulders. “I never expected you to be the sentimental one.”

“A lot has happened this year,” Nicole says. “So many things in my life changed. A lot of that was for the better. And now it’s like everything is going to change again.”

Waverly gives her an empathetic look. “Do you want to know what won’t change?” Nicole nods, looking up toward her girlfriend. “This,” Waverly starts, leaning in to kiss her lips, soft and sweet.

Nicole can’t help but smile. “Thank god for that,” she says with a laugh. “I’m honestly surprised you’re so much more calm, cool and collected about everything. Aren’t you nervous about what life is going to be like after high school?”

“Terrified,” the brunette admits as she dramatically drops down to the bed next to Nicole. 

Nicole laughs and turns in her direction. “You don’t have to be tough for me, babe.”

“I know,” Waverly tells her. “I guess I’m just trying to keep it all together in general. Everything is about to change.”

“Except this,” Nicole reminds her, leaning in for another kiss. 

“Well, as long as I can keep doing that, I think I’ll make it through,” the brunette says, smiling to her eyes.

“I’ll never stop loving you,” Nicole tells her. A promise she knows she can keep. Regardless of what happens to them, if they make it or not, she knows deep down she will always love Waverly Earp.

  
  
  


—————-

  
  
  


The rest of the school year flies by as Nicole expects. There are less academics as the days go on, especially after final exams, and more senior activities than she has ever heard. She thinks it’s more of a reason to keep the students going to school to finish out the rest of the year. She mostly spends her time hanging out with her close group of friends, so she doesn’t really mind what they do, as long as they’re all together. 

The closer they get to graduation, the more nervous she sees Waverly getting about giving her speech at the ceremony. She of course finished at the top of the class, no surprise to anyone else that they’re graduating with. 

It’s the night before graduation and their group decided to have a bonfire and spend the night at the Nedley house to celebrate one last night as seniors in high school. It’s a perfect night. The sky is clear, the stars are bright, and all their friends from school are there. 

“You guys are going to have to come visit me a lot,” Chrissy tells the group. “Since you all decided to leave me.” She rolls her eyes. 

“Who’s fault is it that you chose a local college?” Waverly huffs. Chrissy playfully sticks her tongue out at the brunette. 

“I’ll sure miss this banter,” Nicole teases as she stands up from her seat around the fire, empty cup in hand. “I need a refill.”

“Yeah right,” Chrissy huffs. “You’ll probably get used to being back in the city and never want to come back.”

Nicole gives Chrissy a closer look. She catches a glimpse of Waverly’s face, but the brunette quickly looks down and away from her, making her feel like something is wrong. 

“Huh?” she asks.

“Nothing,” Chrissy brushes it off. “I’m just kidding.”

Nicole shrugs, trying not to draw too much attention to it, not wanting to upset Chrissy. “Well then you better come get a drink with me so we can spend all the time together that we can,” she teases. 

Chrissy laughs and nods. She stands from her seat and follows Nicole toward the house. 

“Hey,” Nicole says when they’re far enough away from their friends that no one can hear. “You know I’ll be back, right?”

“Yeah,” Chrissy says, not making eye contact with Nicole. 

“Come on, Chrissy, what’s up?” Nicole asks, growing more concerned. 

“I was just thinking, what if you find home again, you know? Like back where you came from? And then you never want to come back here.”

“Look, the city is always going to have a place in my heart,” Nicole explains. “But this place is more home to me than anywhere I’ve ever lived. You guys are stuck with me.”

Chrissy laughs, her facial expression softening. 

“Besides, you can come visit us anytime too, you know.”

“I know,” Chrissy tells her. “It’s just not going to be the same,” she sighs. 

“I hear that,” Nicole says. “But maybe that’s the point. Who wants to be in high school forever? We gotta move on at some point. But we don’t have to move on from each other.”

Chrissy smiles and nods in agreement. 

“I’m surprised you’re not sick of me yet,” Nicole teases, lightening the mood, as she pours herself another drink. “Need some?” she asks, gesturing toward the blonde’s cup.

Chirssy nods and holds her cup out for Nicole to fill it. As they turn back toward the yard, they stop for a second, watching their friends interact by the fire. 

“She’s really excited, you know?”

“Waverly?” 

“Yeah,” Chrissy says. “To move, start something new.”

“She’s going to do great things,” Nicole says. She watches as Waverly’s smile is lit up by the fire’s glow under the night sky. She can’t help but smile when she smiles. She thinks about the future and how amazing life will be with Waverly by her side. 

“Thank you for loving her,” Chrissy’s voice breaks her from her thoughts. She turns her head and gives her a confused look.

“Of course,” Nicole says. “Loving Waverly is the easiest thing I’ve ever done.”

“And that’s why I know she’ll be okay,” Chrissy says. 

“I think she’d be fine on her own too.”

“Without a doubt,” Chrissy says with a laugh. “Waverly has always been one of the most strong willed people I've ever met. She has a drive that I’m jealous of. But you light this spark inside of her, a fire she used to keep low to please the people around her.”

The smile on Nicole’s face grows at the statement. She always thought Waverly was the one that had made her better. 

They take a few more steps toward the fire and it’s not long before they’re greeted by their friends again. Waverly wraps her arms around Nicole’s middle, pulling her onto her lap. 

Nicole laughs. “I’m gonna squish you!”

“Nah!” Waverly says. Nicole doesn’t protest any more, but pushes her feet against the ground, attempting not to bare down on the brunette with her full body weight. 

“So do we need to play one last game of ‘Never Have I Ever’ while we’re still in high school?” Robin asks.

“I feel like by now there’s probably not much we don’t know about each other by now,” Rosita chimes in. 

“Do you guys think it’s weird?” Jeremy asks. 

“What’s weird?” Waverly asks.

“Like all of us hanging out,” Jeremy explains. “Did you all really think this is where we’d be, all together, the night before graduation when we first started the school year?”

“Absolutely not,” Chrissy says with a laugh. There's mutual laughter across the group. “But I wouldn’t want it any other way.”

“Thanks to Nicole,” Robin adds. 

“What?” the redhead asks.

“Think about it,” he explains. “If you didn’t move here, there’s no way we would have all been friends. I have so much I owe to you.”

“You guys don’t owe me anything,” Nicole assures them. “Just having you around is good enough.”

“I just don’t think I’d be able to be myself if it weren’t for you.”

“Why’s that?”

“You accepted me as I am from the start. I didn’t have to pretend, or hide, or anything,” Robin tells her. “Not that the rest of you haven’t been great,” he adds. 

There’s a few more laughs and some teasing ‘oh, okay, sure’s’ across the group. 

“But I just thought it was time to stop pretending and look where I am now,” he adds, wrapping his arm tighter around Jeremy’s shoulder.

The night air fills with an overall ‘awe’ from the rest of their friends. Nicole pats Robin on the shoulder, smiling back at him. She’s glad to have played a part in Robin feeling comfortable being himself. It gives her a proud feeling to be able to make a difference in someone’s life.

They spend the rest of the night talking and laughing with their friends. It’s by far one of the best nights Nicole has had so far in her time in Purgatory. She takes the time to watch people closer than before, noticing little things, storing them in her memories for the days she becomes homesick when she’s away at school.

  
  


She wakes the next morning in the basement of her house, surrounded by all of her friends. She finds herself tangled up with Waverly’s body, but doesn’t mind one bit. She shifts a little, but doesn’t want to move much in fear that she will wake the sleeping girl. 

“Stop moving,” Waverly groans in a sleepy voice, nuzzling her face into Nicole’s neck.

“Can you breathe in there?” Nicole whispers, laughing to herself. 

She feels Waverly nod, then lay a few kisses against her skin. She squirms a bit, receiving a giggle from the brunette. Nicole looks down the bridge of her nose toward her girlfriend, who is now grinning up at her, proud of herself. 

Nicole’s fingers dance across the bare skin of Waverly’s lower back as she gives her girlfriend a glare. 

“What?” Waverly asks, innocently. 

“You know exactly what,” she tries to keep her voice hushed in fear that she’s going to wake their friends up. 

“No one is awake,” Waverly reminds her. Nicole laughs as she watches her girlfriend list her head up to take a look around the room. 

Just then, there's a sound of someone shuffling on a nearby air mattress. Waverly lets out an audible groan. 

“Good morning to you too, Waves,” Jeremy’s voice comes from the other side of the room. 

Waverly gives Nicole a pouty lip before greeting the boy in her usual, bubbly tone. 

“Morning, Jer!” 

Nicole lets out a laugh that apparently warrants a slap on her arm from her girlfriend.

“Ow!

“What the hell are you two doing over there?” Chrissy grunts. She rolls over and climbs off the couch that she was sleeping on. “And by the way, you still can’t whisper,” she huffs as she rolls her eyes at the pair.

“We’ll work on it,” Nicole teases. “Are you getting up to make breakfast? I’m starving.”

“I thought you volunteered,” Chrissy retorts. 

“I don’t think you want me to cook,” Nicole assures her. “Not if you want it to be edible,” she laughs. 

She sees Chrissy look toward Waverly, who is nodding in agreement. “Damn babe, you could at least lie and say I know how to do things!”

“You know how to do plenty of things,” Waverly assures her. “Just not cook,” she adds before she plants a kiss on her forehead and climbs out of bed to help Chrissy.

Nicole huffs and drops back down dramatically onto the bed behind her. After laying there for a few minutes and noticing everyone else waking up around her, she decides it’s probably time to go find a bathroom before they’re all taken.

When she makes her way up the stairs, she notices Chrissy and Waverly in the kitchen making breakfast. Honestly, she does want to learn to cook, but she also doesn’t mind not having to do it right now. 

  
  


After breakfast, they spend the day hanging out together until everyone goes their separate ways to get ready for the graduation ceremony. Waverly stays back at the Nedley house, explaining that she and Chrissy have talked about getting ready for graduation together since they were young, which comes at no surprise to Nicole. 

When they arrive at the school, Nicole and Waverly have to go their separate ways for Waverly to prepare for her speech. That’s the price she pays for having such a smart girlfriend. She gives her a quick kiss, wishing her good luck, even though she’s sure she doesn’t need it. She drapes her gown over her arm, preparing to wear it once she’s inside.

When she and Chrissy turn back to find where all of the other graduates are supposed to go, she catches a glimpse of Waverly’s dad out of the corner of her eye. He looks a little different than he normally does whenever she sees him. He might actually be sober. She notices he’s standing alone outside of the school and doesn’t seem to be waiting for anyone in particular. 

“Hey, Chrissy, I’ll meet you over there, okay?” she asks.

“Yeah, sure,” Chrissy says as she turns to go meet up with their fellow classmates. 

Sucking a deep breath in through her nose, she slowly lets it out through her mouth, bracing herself before she allows her feet to carry her in his direction. 

“Hey, Mr. Earp,” Nicole calls out. Ward turns toward her. She feels her heart pound, nerves fill her body. The last thing she ever wants to do is be alone anywhere with Waverly’s dad, but since she found out that he’s the one that saved her life, she kind of feels like she owes him.

“I just wanted to thank you,” Nicole says. She’s nervous as the words come out of her mouth, unsure of what the man will say in response. 

He pauses for a moment. The silence is killing her.

“You’re welcome,” he finally says. Nicole is partially surprised by his response that feels calm and actually endearing. 

“I’m sorry for whatever turmoil I’ve caused in your family, sir, I just-”

“You’re not the enemy, Nicole.”

Nicole’s eyes widen slightly at the statement. Did he really just say that? After all the things he said about how she’s not good enough for Waverly, about how she’s from a different world. After the way he made her feel like everything is because of her. 

“Look, I’ve made choices that I can never take back. I have daughters that might never want a relationship with me, even a granddaughter, and that’s no one’s fault but my own. Sometimes we do things that we just have to live with.”

Nicole nods, silently allowing him to finish his thoughts. She’s not even sure what she would say to him. He can’t undo the way he’s treated his daughters for years, but admitting he was wrong is a good place to start.

“You deserve a chance to live with whatever choices you make, good or bad.”

“And you gave me that chance.”

“You don’t owe me, Nicole,” Ward assures her. “Just take care of her, okay?”

Nicole nods again, slightly, at the man. Did he just give her his blessing? 

“I will, Mr. Earp, I, I will,” she stutters, unsure of what else there is to say. 

The man nods at her, placing a hand on her shoulder. She freezes for a moment. Looking him directly in the eye, she sees something in him that she’s never seen before. Usually his eyes are cold, glossed over, angry, but not now. Now there’s significant pain, worry, something a lot more human like.

Before she can speak again, he excuses himself, lifting his hand from her shoulder and turns to make his way into the school. Nicole pauses for another moment, trying to absorb everything that just happened, still unsure of how to take it.

She turns to follow in the direction that Chrissy has gone in when they parted ways. Before she can reach the building, she runs into Randy, who drove separately to the school. 

“You look nice,” the man says, smiling at the redhead. 

Nicole gives herself a once over, smoothing out her button down shirt that she wrinkled a bit on the car ride over. She’s well aware that she’s just going to cover what she’s wearing with her graduation gown, but she still tries to look somewhat presentable. 

“Thanks,” she says with a smile. 

“Nervous?” 

“Me? Nah,” she replies, brushing it off. “The hard part is over,” she jokes. 

“Well I just want you to know that I’m proud of you,” Randy tells her.

“I know,” Nicole says. “I’m just happy to be standing here today. Thank you for everything.” 

“Of course,” Randy says. 

He holds his arms out to give the girl a hug. Nicole gladly accepts the embrace. Randy tells her that he’s going to go inside and find his seat that Gus and Curtis are saving for him. 

“See you after!” Nicole says as he turns to walk into the school. 

Before she can take any more steps toward the door, she hears someone call her name. She turns to see the smiling face of officer Dolls, who is waving to her from across the parking lot. She gives him a wave and waits for him to catch up to her. 

“I thought you were done with me,” Nicole says, giving the man a smirk.

“You wish, huh?” he teases. “I figured we made it this far, might as well see that you’re actually about to graduate.”

“Shows what you know,” Nicole huffs. “I even got into college!” she says, still proud of herself for that. 

“Officially a college student!” Dolls exclaims. “Nicole, that’s great!”

“I don’t think I’ll ever get used to you calling me Nicole,” she admits. “But thanks. I’m definitely heading back to the city in the fall now.”

Dolls gives her a look like he’s not sure if that’s such a good idea. He’s been a big advocate for the change in environment being a huge part in Nicole’s change of behavior. 

“I know what you're thinking, but it’ll be different this time,” Nicole assures him. “I’m different this time.”

“I know, and you’ll definitely be fine. But I do think you’re wrong about one thing,” he tells her. 

“What’s that?”

“You’re not different, you’re the same old kid that I started working with a couple of years ago,” he assures her. “The only thing that’s changed is the way you see yourself. You’ve always been you, Haught, you just had this cloud of doubt surrounding you for so long.”

“And what happens if it’s still there?” Nicole asks. She’s definitely in a better place, but that doesn’t mean she doesn’t think she will feel the cloud looming overhead at times. 

“I’m sure it is from time to time,” he tells her. “But listen, kid, have your doubts but don’t let them define you, okay?”

Nicole nods. “I’ll try my best.” 

“So, there’s something else,” he adds. 

“There’s always a but,” Nicole laughs.

“Not really a but,” he says. “I just wanted to let you know that I got the job across the country. You’re no longer looking at probation officer Dolls, but now you’re looking at police officer Dolls.”

“It has a nice ring to it,” Nicole tells him. “I’m happy for you,” she says, genuinely. “So are you finally going to admit to me you only stuck around for me?”

“Wouldn’t you love that power,” Dolls retorts with a smirk.

Nicole shrugs. “You’re never going to give it to me, are you?” The man shakes his head. “Fair,” the redhead says, giving up. “But I do owe you. So here it goes,” she continues. He gives her a confused look. “Thank you,” she says. “Thank you for never giving up on me, even when I gave up on myself. Thank you for believing in me, I needed that.” 

“You’re welcome, kid,” the man says. “Now you just have to promise me one thing,” he adds.

“What’s that?” Nicole asks. She can only imagine what it is that he wants her to do. 

“You need to take it from here,” Dolls tells her. He places a supportive hand on her shoulder. 

Nicole lets out a laugh. She nods in response. “I think I can handle that,” she assures him. 

“And you still have my number if you need me,” he tells her, adding a quick wink. He removes his hand and brings it back to his side.

“Who says I haven’t deleted it?” Nicole challenges him. She sure does love to get a reaction out of him. 

Dolls laughs and shakes his head at the redhead. “See you inside, kid,” he says, gesturing toward the building before turning to head toward the door. 

Nicole laughs and follows suit, entering in through the side door with the rest of her classmates. Once inside, she finds her group of friends hanging together before lining up for the ceremony. 

“Haught, I thought you ditched us,” Chrissy says when she makes her way up to them. 

“I ran into a few people,” Nicole says, hesitant toward the outside of the building over her shoulder. 

“Oh, okay, miss popular,” Chrissy laughs. 

Nicole laughs and pulls her gown over her body, attempting to put her cap on. “Come here,” Chrissy says, fixing her cap for her, making sure the tassel is on the correct side. 

“Thanks,” she says sheepishly. She soon feels familiar arms wrap around her from behind. She turns her body around, immediately enveloping Waverly in her own arms. “Hey, baby.”

Waverly seems excited and giddy. She pushes up on her toes to press a hard kiss against Nicole’s lips. “I missed you.”

“I missed you too,” Nicole tells her. “I may have talked to your dad outside-”

Waverly looks mortified. “Oh no,” she cringes. “I’m sorry for whatever he said-”

“No,” Nicole corrects her. “It was actually a good talk,” she tells her, receiving a surprised look from the brunette. 

“Well, there is a first time for everything,” Waverly laughs. 

“Told you I’d win him over,” Nicole says in a cocky tone. 

Waverly playfully pushes the redhead before leaning up for another kiss. The kiss is slow and sweet, but it leaves Nicole wanting more. Thoughts of suggesting that they sneak into a corner quickly cross her mind before she’s suddenly stopped by an announcement to get ready to line up for the ceremony.

“I guess it’s go time,” Waverly says. She pulls away from the redhead a little, still holding her hand. 

“Are you ready?” Nicole asks.

“It’s now or never!” Waverly says, raising her eyebrows playfully. 

“You’re going to do great,” Nicole assures her, squeezing her hand a little tighter. “I’m so proud of you.”

“And I’m proud of you, baby,” Waverly tells her. There’s another announcement, stating that it’s officially time to start lining up. “See you out there!”

Nicole presses one last quick kiss against Waverly’s lips before they part ways. She finds her spot in line, sucking in a deep breath. She holds it for a short moment before letting it out, waiting for the go ahead to start making her way out onto the stage with the rest of her class. 

The sound of cheers fill the air in the auditorium as the graduating class begin to make their way onto the stage. Nicole feels her heart beating faster. She’s never really enjoyed being the center of attention, and while she knows she’s on the stage with her entire class, it doesn’t stop her from wondering how many people could be staring directly at her. 

She takes her seat with the rest of the class when they’re directed to by the school principal. The next half an hour is filled with speeches that Nicole doesn’t pay much attention to. She tunes in from time to time, but finds herself looking around the room more than listening. 

It’s not until she hears Waverly’s name announced that she really tunes into what is happening. She turns her focus toward the front of the stage as her girlfriend stands from her seat in the front, making her way up to the podium. She’s full of grace and confidence that Nicole both envies and is proud of at the same time. She’s sure she looks like a complete dork with the giant smile that is plaster on her face, but she doesn’t care. 

“Thank you,” Waverly says to the school principal, smiling from ear to ear. Nicole is immediately full of pride for her girlfriend as she stands up in front of a room full of people, about to give her class valedictorian speech. “To all of the friends, families and faculty members, I just want to start by thanking you all for being here today. It is with your support that we are all able to be here in front of you today.”

Nicole didn’t realize it is possible to smile as big as she is at this moment. She is beaming from ear to ear, and she’s sure her friends would make fun of her if they could see her now. She’s happy that people are all eyes in Waverly, so she can get away with looking like a complete dork as she watches the girl she loves continue her speech. 

“And to my fellow graduates, I told myself that I wouldn’t be so cliche, but, we did it!”

The words echo through her head. 

We did it. 

She did it. 

It’s not often that Nicole feels pride for herself, but at this moment, she can’t help it. She defied every doubt she ever had about herself to make it to this moment right here. And with everything she’s been through, how can she not be proud? 

“So congratulations to all of us, and here’s to the future!” 

Waverly finishes her speech flawlessly, something that Nicole never doubted even once. After Waverly, there are a couple more student speeches, that she admittedly mostly tunes out. She doesn’t pay much attention again until she begins to hear her classmates’ names being called when diplomas are being handed out. 

This is it. 

This is the only thing left between her and being done with high school forever. 

She stands from her seat when they reach her row of students, quietly waiting as the names before her are called. 

“Nicole Rayleigh Haught.” 

As her name is called and she begins walking toward the podium, she takes a moment to look across the crowd of people, many of which are clapping for her. The crowd is full of the people she wanted nothing to do with before the school year began. It’s a group of people that whispered about her when she first arrived. A group of people that she didn’t want to get close to because she figured she would just leave. 

She glances back at the graduating class. She sees faces of students that didn’t exactly welcome her with open arms when she first arrived; students who made things more difficult for her at first. But in that sea of faces, she sees Robin Jett, the quarterback of the football team who didn’t ever look at her in the wrong way. She sees Jeremy Chetri, who offered her a place to sit when she was all alone in the cafeteria on her first day. She sees Rosita Bustillos, who, due to repeating her senior year, was already an outcast herself. And Chrissy Nedley, someone she probably wouldn’t, in a million years, have spoken to or become friends, who is now someone she considers her family. 

But of all the faces of all the graduates, her eyes lock on the soft, hazel eyes of Waverly Earp. She’s the girl that took a chance on the outsider, the girl that fought through the odds for her, the girl that makes her whole. And no matter what the future holds, from this moment forward, she’s ready. 


End file.
